


I Choose You, I Treasure You

by TheShelbyCobra



Category: MAGNUM (Korea Band), TREASURE (Korea Band), YG Entertainment | YG Family, YG Treasure Box (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 37,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24560251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShelbyCobra/pseuds/TheShelbyCobra
Summary: Locata is a world run by magic, full of all different types of people and creatures. Twelve boys find themselves together and unite with their unique ideals for the world. Rather than having to choose between the Codification and the Blackhole, the boys live their life their own way. They find that their true Treasure is each other.Work in progress - There will be more chapters coming soon!
Comments: 25
Kudos: 33





	1. Prologue: Locata

It has always been said that the universe has infinite magic, which is what created all the planets, stars, and creatures. The world of Locata was created from the death of a star known as Calysmo, a star full of magical energy. Enough to give life to thousands of planets and lives. However, when it died, all that energy was poured into one lonely space rock, which then grew in size, blooming with life. Locata is considered to be an abnormally large planet, and for a long time it was dormant, until it finally found a star bigger than itself to orbit. The magic energy within the planet was released in an abundant amount, creating creatures with incredible abilities, plants of extraordinary sizes, and land features that seemingly made no sense.

While all forms of life living in Locata were highly intelligible, one species rose above the rest: the human race. Originally, humans were scarce. They had yet to figure out communication with one another and had nothing to their name. They had no magic power, making them weak in a world filled with incredible sorcery. It took millennia for humans to harness basic communication, and finally they even figured out how to unlock their own magic abilities.

Magic was used in everyday life from then on. Children being taught since birth. However, with any advanced civilization, humans began turning against each other. Rather than all humans choosing to share their capabilities with one another, many groups became recluse. This is what led to the creation of many countries and territories across Locata. Of course conflict arose between nations, sparking war with one another over every little thing.

Now enter the Global Codification. An organization of world leaders who are brought together to solve crises across Locata. Many countries did not have selected leaders chosen, which brough internal conflict within the territories. After many decades of civil wars, the Codification finally had leaders to represent countries, regardless of how accurate said representation was

The Codification then went on to create laws that all territories had to abide by, even creating special task forces of selected individuals to deal with certain problems across the country. In theory, it all sounded great, until reality settled in. Bigger and greater countries tended to get priority due to the greater population size. This created an imbalance in development, which sparked the Great Incursion, later renamed as the 1st Incursion. Many smaller countries banded together to obtain resources from the bigger countries, one at a time. They demanded more aid from the Codification. In response, the Codification deployed their armed task force, otherwise known as the Silver Cross, which represented two iron swords clashing in battle.

Even though outnumbered, the Silver Cross swept the revolters with their better equipment and abilities, further proving the whole reason for the Incursion. The revolutionists surrendered under the condition that the Codification would supply them with more necessities. They did keep their world, supplying all territories with education and equipment to help them develop, yet they also took the opportunity to collect more people to join the Codification’s task forces. People who joined the Codification got special benefits. Many got taught special magic or how to use the magic around them. This created yet another imbalance in the world as those who joined the Codification were now considered to be in a higher class to the rest.

This imbalance brought corruption. People in the Codification began using their power to gain more status in their countries and in the whole world. The task forces created by the codification started to terrorise certain cities and towns, gaining control and wealth from it. Now a new generation of revolutionists emerged, fighting a 2nd Incursion against the task forces. With improved abilities, materials, and numbers, the revolutionists actually won against many of the task forces. The most notable defeats were the Golden Leaf (agricultural task force), the Strong Bark (architectural task force), and the Aegean Ink (educational task force). However, the Silver Cross had also grown. Yet instead of winning, the battle ended in an agreement of peace between the revolters and the Codification. The battle was labeled as a “simultaneous surrender.” The Codification reselected all the task forces, and said that this was the rebirth of leadership.

With new people in charge, the Codification was nowhere near as corrupt as before, yet obviously it is not so easy to get rid of the problem. While inside the global leadership everything was great, each country was having their own problems. The Codification loosened their hold, but governments tightened them. People who were living in the territories felt that they were being restricted. This lasted centuries, with laws and rules getting stricter and scriter, limiting people’s opportunities. The 3rd Incursion, the Final Incursion, happened because of this, except this time it was not just the revolutionists fighting. While the revolutionists fought against the Codification to get them to respond to government action, a select portion of fighters wanted to completely eliminate the Codification, going to extreme ends to do so. They destroyed towns and cities the Codification had once taken complete control over, they killed thousands of people, both those working for the Codification and completely unrelated people, trying to get their point across. They donned the name the Blackhole because they would completely destroy areas, leaving nothing behind.

With added support of the Blackhole, the revolutionists won the 3rd Incursion. To satisfy them, the Codification made it so that groups of people could register together as a guild, creating few restrictions on what the guild had to complete in order to remain as one. This brought on a new era in human history, dubbed as the New World Era. The creation of countless guilds worldwide brought new exploration, finding new creatures and new land in Locata. Magic also became more advanced during this time, new skills being discovered.

In the meanwhile, the Blackhole and the Codification continued to clash with conflicting ideologies of how the world should be run. The Codification was in favor of restrictions in order to create peace and happiness, while the Blackhole wanted freedom to make advancements. Many guilds would side with the Blackhole or the Codification as they were offered benefits (or threats). Either way, people became very black or white. Meaning, they would choose one side, and not look back. However, people are born in color. They shouldn’t be stuck to one extreme or the other. That’s where this story begins. Twelve boys who were born so colorful in a black and white society. They didn’t belong to either side, but opted to create their own.

This is Treasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post this prolouge to celebrate Yedam's solo! WAYO is so good, I can't stop playing it!  
> Anyways, this is my first time posting, so please excuse any formatting errors (I struggled very much with it, but please correct me and give any advice)!  
> This prologue is intentionally short. I didn't want to start immediately into the first chapter, so this is just to build up hype I guess? The actual chapter will be pretty long. Since I'm posting this as I'm writing, the story is far from completed, so posting will most definitely not be regular, but I'll try my best to post once a week (sorry if I can't live up to this). The first chapter will probably be posted sooner than that, so look forward to it?  
> I also just want to obviously preface that this is fictional, and I tried to build my own world, so not everything will make sense, but I'll try to explain things enough (though some parts are left vague intentionally).  
> Also, I'm not great at writing love relationships (because I am forever alone), but there will be a heavy focus on character's friendships. I guess we'll all see as it pans out. I'll add more tags as I go, too!  
> Please correct any mistakes of mine! I'm really excited for this work!  
> I'd also like to mention that the first chapters will be focusing on one person at a time, explaining all their upbringings. I really want to be able to give all the character the time that they deserve, and I feel like if I tried to condense it down, their later actions and personalities may not make as much sense. The first chapter will start with Hyunsuk. The chapters will not be going in age order, but the order will make sense.


	2. Enter: Choi Hyunsuk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He glanced behind him, and instead of seeing Meerindal, he saw the most beautiful sight of his life; the sunrise. In the bounds of the town, the border made it impossible to see the sun peeking up from the ground. When he would leave the town for missions, there was never a moment to spare. Never had he seen the bright splash of colors painting the boring black sky. The deep pink acting as a thin blanket over the rolling hills, a golden orange in the form of a halo around the red-tinted sun, and the bright yellow shining, reflecting off the bland white clouds. He watched as the sun continued to rise up, filling the sky with its familiar blue shade. Somewhere in his heart he felt it, too. A bright splash of warmth slowing encasing his dark, cold heart. The dawn of this new day was also the dawn of a new Hyunsuk.

Looking back, there was no changing Hyunsuk. He was fated to turn out as he did. After all he was born into a family of assassins in the country of Kenmai, having to fend for himself. Since he was young, Hyunsuk had been raised to be a part of the Blackhole, the criminal empire that had been dominating regions of Locata for decades since the 3rd Incursion against the Global Codification. To be honest, he calls it all bullshit. The Codification was set up to construct peace among the different territories and countries across Locata, but it ended up dividing them up in attempts to create actual governing boundaries and choose leaders. The Blackhole was no better. They tried to justify their actions to create a better world, but committing senseless murders and crimes against those with differing ideals was just being incredibly hypocritical.

Regardless, his “home” was with the Blackhole, but it’s clear that crazed idealists are not the best people to bring up children. Hyunsuk couldn’t remember a time where he hadn’t heard propaganda spewed to him during a school lecture. Couldn’t remember a day where he felt completely safe, not holding a knife as he fell asleep. There was never a moment where he felt like the Blackhole was the right path for him. He had seen what it did to his parents, if they could even be called that. His siblings were no better off, already down the path of becoming emotionless killers, despite Hyunsuk’s efforts. When people are born into the system, they cannot create their own vision of the world. That’s what made Hyunsuk an anomaly. He had dreams that had no inclusion of the Blackhole. Even after going out on missions where he ultimately ended someone’s life, at no point did Hyunsuk truly understand nor agree with the philosophy of the Blackhole.

It’s safe to say that Hyunsuk was not surprised when he began fantasizing about escaping the Blackhole. However, he knew the implications of that. First of all, he’d somehow have to escape Meerindal, either without any confrontation, which would be near impossible due to the amount of guards set up to patrol the borders and inside of the city, or go face to face with them in a battle to what would probably be death. Not to mention the miles of road he’d have to somehow tread alone for who knows how long, without an idea of where to get materials—no water, food, or money. Even if he managed to survive it to the next town, his chances of actually being able to fit in and live a “normal life” were embarrassingly low. All logic pointed to his demise and failure, yet Hyunsuk’s brain kept telling him to go for it.

That’s how he ended up holding his knife close to his chest with the red beryl on the guard of the weapon reflecting the light coming from the window. He was crouched next to the door to his room, listening for any signs of movement in the house. He shifted the bag on his shoulder, filled with minimal clothing, a stale baguette, a flask of room temperature water, as well as some of his personal belongings and necessities gifted to him from school, things that Hyunsuk so lovingly called “things that may potentially save my ass.”

After staying in that position for five minutes with no indication of people, Hyunsuk carefully opened the door, creeping towards the front of the house. Even in the pitch-black, he could easily navigate the building both due to his freakishly good senses and from living here for his whole fifteen years of existence. However, his heightened senses and training pale in comparison to veteran assassins, so when his parents appeared at his either side, trapping him in the kitchen, he should have seen it coming.

“Hyunsuk, dear,” his mother chimed, “Where are you going? General Markov never alerted us that you had a mission.”

“I don’t,” he bluntly responded, though he truly was trying to calm his nerves. He glanced at his father to his right. _Back of the neck, base of the skull._

“You know,” his father began, “You’ve always sort of disappoin—” but he never finished as Hyunsuk drove the knife straight through the back of his father’s head, severing the stem that connects the spinal cord and brain. He collapsed to the floor, dying nearly instantly, and before his mother could reach for a weapon tucked in her clothes ( _it’s standard for every assassin to always be prepared to kill, so you must always carry a means to do so_ ), he turned towards her, grasping her right hand, using his weight and momentum to bring them to the floor. She let out a frustrated groan, and pulled out a knife, but she never got to act any further as Hyunsuk pushed the knife through her armpit, targeting the artery close to her heart. Once he removed the blade, the blood came spewing, as expected, and she crumpled up in pain, then stopped moving all together.

“Learned from the best,” he mumbled to himself, glancing down at his now blood-stained shirt. He then bent down, taking what currency his parents had on them, stashing the coins in his bag. He also opted to take his parents' weapons, being his mother’s knife, which was heavier and shorter than his own, and a projectile weapon from his father. It was one of those weapons that was frowned upon by most assassins. He remembered his teachers saying “a knife penetrates a body, neat and quiet, but a gun penetrates the silence, messy and risky.” But the weapon was no ordinary revolver, it was one of those magic-infused weapons. There are two ways for weapons to get magically infused. After using a weapon over a long period of time, it will naturally connect to its user’s magical energy, adopting abilities to compliment the weapon holder, like Hyunsuk’s knife. Those skilled with metalsmith can force this energy into a weapon, even without a host. The latter was what this revolver holds, though Hyunsuk was unable to tell what kind of ability the weapon possesses. He stashed it into his bag as well.

Hyunsuk took a moment to look at his father, who lay dead on the floor, eyes void of any reaction. He figured they probably thought Hyunsuk was mentally incapable of killing his own parents, making the job much easier. As he rose from the floor and headed to the door, he heard another sound in the house.

“Hyung?” a small voice questioned. He turned around to see his younger siblings staring at him like meerkats, trying to comprehend what was happening. “What’s going on? Why are mom and dad on the floor?”

“They are just resting, it’s okay,” Hyunsuk answered, “And you two should too. Go back to bed.”

“But Hyunsuk,” his sister pouted, “Why are you up?”

“Your big brother has some work to do,” he patted her on the shoulder, “I may not be back for awhile. Tomorrow morning you guys should go to school as if nothing happened, okay? The guards will come by later to help mom and dad.” Hyunsuk’s eyes began glowing red, the glow trailing back to his siblings. “I love you both, but I may never see you again.”

“Okay hyung!” His brother chriped, “We love you, too.” The two siblings then wander back to their rooms in a daze.

Hyunsuk felt slightly guilty for leaving his siblings behind, but it hurt worse that he had to lie and use his deception magic on them. But he knew he could never bring them along. They were pretty far gone to the Blackhole already, and it would be next to impossible to bring them along. _Maybe someday I’ll see you again. Until then, forgive me, I had no other choice._

Finally, Hyunsuk opened the front door, and headed out into the streets to leave this hell. He pulled on a cloak, pulling the hood to conceal himself. In order to make escaping easier, he climbed on to the roof of his own house, which was pretty easy since his house was only one floor and had a flat roof. The format of Meerindal had all the houses very close together, so jumping from building to building was relatively simple. All he had to do was avoid the guards who were on the ground. Glancing around, he saw many people in the center part of town. Many of the higher ups spent their nights gambling and drinking, so the loud commotion was nothing new. Tonight, however, it would be to his advantage. _People are the perfect distraction._

Dropping down from the roofs, Hyunsuk began walking his way into the center of town. Quickly, he pulled from his bag a match that he tightly concealed in his palm. He surveyed the plaza, scanning for his target. He found it, and began approaching the wooden wheelbarrow filled with hay. Horse travel was very common in and out of the city, so hay was commonly placed for the animals. Walking up to the barrow, he stands next to a tall, black horse tied up to a post next to the wheelbarrow. He used the horse as cover, and struck the match, placing it near the bottom of the stack so that the fire would not be visible right away. Again, Hyunsuk surveyed the area, then began untying the horse. Once the knot came free, he tipped the barrow over, the fire revealing itself. It started a commotion, so Hyunsuk began leading the horse away, standing in a street just outside the plaza. Once a few guards had ran past, he hopped on the horse’s saddle, headed towards the exit.

The escape was just like all his missions; uneventful. Fast yet clean. He did not encounter a guard on the exit to the gate. Just as he expected, they all got preoccupied with his distraction. _That was easier than expected._ Hyunsuk’s previous worries all seemed to disappear as Meerindal left his view, but new concerns began to brew in him. He had no idea where he was or where he was going. In every direction was mountainous terrain, and the path he was on seemed to have no end.

He glanced behind him, and instead of seeing Meerindal, he saw the most beautiful sight of his life; the sunrise. In the bounds of the town, the border made it impossible to see the sun peeking up from the ground. When he would leave the town for missions, there was never a moment to spare. Never had he seen the bright splash of colors painting the boring black sky. The deep pink acting as a thin blanket over the rolling hills, a golden orange in the form of a halo around the red-tinted sun, and the bright yellow shining, reflecting off the bland white clouds. He watched as the sun continued to rise up, filling the sky with its familiar blue shade. Somewhere in his heart he felt it, too. A bright splash of warmth slowing encasing his dark, cold heart. The dawn of this new day was also the dawn of a new Hyunsuk.

For the first time in his life, Hyunsuk smiled a true, genuine smile. Not one of those smiles he used to feign in order to please his parents, or gain false trust. He wore a smile that was brought on by true happiness. With newfound strength, Hyunsuk looked back forward on the path, continuing the trek to who knows where. _As long as it's not Meerindal._

At some point though, the bliss wore off. Not for Hyunsuk, but for the horse. Freedom was a great prospect for the elegant creature, but hunger was not. Having the hot heat from the sun hitting against its sheen black coat caused the animal to stop moving altogether out of tiredness and stubbornness. Hyunsuk begrudgingly got off the horse and stared it in the eyes. As best he could. It’s kind of difficult when its eyes are on the side of its head.

“Look horse—do you have a name?—what do you want?” he interrogated, as if the horse could respond. It did, though it just made a loud bray at him. _Damn, the horse has some sas._ Hyunsuk focused his gaze into one of the horse’s eyes, which contained a glimmer (perhaps of hope), shining like a star.

“Okay girl, I’m going to call you Star, is that okay?” the horse produced another neighbor, and rubbed her head against Hyunsuk’s shoulder, nuding at his bag. “You want food?” he questioned. Star reacted enthusiastically to that, so he reached into his bag, pulling out the stale baguette.

“This,” he gestured at the bread, “is all I have. You’ll like it, I hope. I mean it’s basically like the hay you eat, only processed and cooked. And old. And not very good… But that’s besides the point. You’ll eat it and you’ll like it.” She did eat it. Though it’s not like she particularly cared about what she ate, as long as she got to eat it. Hyunsuk sighed as he watched his only food source disappear into Star’s mouth. _I guess she would need it more than me…_

Hyunsuk pulled himself onto Star’s back, and they set forward down the path once again. However, the lost night of sleep, hot heat, and lack of food began getting to him as he began to feel tired and sick. The bouncing from the horse’s movements wasn’t helping either. However Hyunsuk’s salvation came in the form of a giant pine sign on the side of the road. **Monsver** it read. A few minutes after that he saw a building. A small cabin made of wood and clay. The trail had a few more cabins, then opened up to a large grid of winding streets full of different buildings. 

“Oh thank god,” Hyunsuk sighed, relieved. “I totally thought I was going to die.”

He immediately saw a stable, so he stopped there, getting off of Star to let her eat and drink while he went to find his own consumable energy. He continued down the road, kicking the gravel as he dragged his feet, staring intently at every place he passed. Unlike Meerindal where most places were built up by run down stone bricks, Monsver was made primarily of clay and wood. The roofs were slanted, coming to a pointed triangle at the top. _So this is what it looks like when people care about the state of their town._

Hyunsuk came to a store advertised as a baker store. He stepped in, and was greeted with the smell of fresh bread. He looked around the shop to see stacks and stacks of bread. _My kind of shop._ He pulled out the money he took from his home, and counted it as eighteen nummum. It would be enough to just barely get him some food and supplies. So he took one loaf of bread worth three nummum, and paid.

Before he left, though, he asked the lady working there, “What kind of work could I get in this town?”

“You’re from out of town?” she asked, raising her eyebrow. “Well, you’re young and fit. Those guild things are pretty good for income. Though I have heard that some of them aren’t… Well, there aren’t the best people in them.” She paused in thought, seemingly recalling some sort of memory. “Plus, you have to get accepted into one. Of course there is still plenty of work. You can freelance for some people in the town. Like all other towns and cities we have that public request board. It’s kind of like the stuff the guild does, but way easier and less pay. If you want something more permanent, you have to see if anyone is hiring.”

“Okay, thanks!” Hyunsuk enthusiastically nodded, “Um, where is the request board?”

“It’s left of the fountain in the center of town, you can’t miss it.” 

Hyunsuk bowed and thanked her once again, then he exited the building with a bit more pep in his step. He dashed immediately to where he _thought_ the center of the town would be, but promptly got lost. The layout of the town seemed to be a grid, but it was more windy and less structured than an actual grid. So he ended up on a street with a string of buildings on either side, which looked exactly like every other section of the town.

While Hyunsuk did not end up at the town center, he did end up at the metalsmith, which was high on his list of places to go to in town. Back in Meerindal, he never had access to a weapon maker, only being provided by the Blackhole. His knife was gifted to him as a young child. He could vaguely remember having to choose one weapon out of a pool of fifteen. Each was placed on a separate table. He remembers looking at bows, daggers, swords, and many more weapons, each with different stones set into them. However, he was drawn to his knife. The red beryl glowed the way his own magic energy did, and just like his own abilities, it seemingly tricked him into taking it. Though the dagger felt heavy and disproportionate to his small body at the time, he took it. His small hands had made the knife look giant, but he had grown into it.

Hyunsuk shook his head, ridding himself of his past memory. The metalsmith was a big stone building, but it had a large door that was completely open. It also had many windows that were set ajar. Walking into the building, there was a significant temperature increase. A big, burlyman was hunched by a large fire, holding a giant rod that was glowing orange with heat. As if in a trance, Hyunsuk watched as the man hammered at the metal rod, forming it into a sword shape, then dunking it into water. He repeated this process several times, forging an intricate design into the sharp blade. Once the large man noticed Hyunsuk’s presence, they met eyes, and the man broke out into a kind smile. Hyunsuk tried to replicate it, though he knew he probably looked awkward and uncomfortable. The metalworker took no notice.

“Hello,” the man cheerfully piped, wiping sweat from his brow with his hand. “What brings you here, young one?”

 _Young one._ Hyunsuk never felt like he was young, though he was 15 years old, and technically still a child. He had no choice. He had to grow up fast, that was life as an assassin. No friends, terrible family, abusive system. That was his life up until this point. _How does it feel to be a child, blissfully happy and ignorant?_

“I’m interested in purchasing a weapon,” Hyunsuk responded while he glanced around the room, checking the prices, the lowest one in view being 50 nummum. “But I may not be able to afford much here.”

“That’s okay. I’ll show you around, and you can always come back once you have fundings.” The metalsmith then proceeds to stand up, walking towards one of the walls where many weapons were mounted. He proceeded talking about each of the weapons. Hyunsuk faded out of the conversation, taking a closer look at each of the weapons, stopping at a small dagger, about the same length as his thin hand.

“What’s this?” Hyunsuk interpreted the metalworker, pointing at the small knife.

“Oh that? That’s a throwing knife. It's a knife, that you throw…” he trailed off as Hyunsuk gave him a blank stare. “It is actually a set of six knife, three to a pouch. You’re meant to mount the pouches on your weapon belt so that you have easy access to them.” He then picks up the knife, throwing it towards a target on the opposite side of the room, landing on the third line from the center. “They are easy to use, like so. Of course, I’d be a bad blacksmith if that was all this was capable of. I forged recall into this knife.” He held his hand out, and the knife came unwedged from the wooden target, coming back to his hand. The metalsmith offered it to Hyunsuk.

“It’s not the easiest thing to pick up so it’s… okay if...”

Hyunsuk immediately threw the knife at the target. It spun in the air with a near perfect trajectory. It landed right in the center of the target. He glanced at the metalsmith.

“Um… Oh, also! Like all magic enforged weapons, it takes a couple weeks of using the knives for the recall to sync with you. Of course I made the weapons, so it works for me…”

Hyunsuk’s eyes flashed red, forcing the weapon’s magic bond to connect to him temporarily. Deceived by the assassin’s power, the weapon flings itself back to him. If the weapon had a bagic bond to someone else, the deception wouldn’t have worked. Luckily, the metalsmith hadn’t made one with his own weapon. Hyunsuk handed the weapon back.

The metalworker shook his head in disbelief. “The whole set is normally 1,000 nummum, but I can see your interest… I’ll make it 750? I can put it on hold?”

“Okay. You mentioned something about a weapon belt? Do you have those? How much?”

“Oh, sorry, I do not sell them here,” he stated apologetically. “There are some cordwainers in town that work with leather. They will definitely have what you are looking for.”

“I’ll take the black one, please.” Hyunsuk dropped his remaining nummum on the counter.

“I expect to see you back here,” the man responded, sliding the black belt to Hyunsuk.

“Thank you.” Hyunsuk proceeded to exit the building, taking one last look around the store. Once he was back outside, he saw Star standing by the building. Confused, he walked up to her and scratched her mane.

“Hey girl,” he called. “How did you find me here?” She responded with a snort, as if the answer were obvious, yet Hyunsuk clearly didn’t understand.

“Do you know where the center of the town is? The fountain?” Star then neighed, and bounced a little bit, lifting her front legs off the ground slightly. He took that as a yes and climbed onto her saddle-clad back. She immediately took the first left turn after leaving the metalsmithery. It was nearly a straight shot to the fountain, she only had to make a small turn to get around a tall building.

The center of the town looked just as he expected. There were plenty of small booths set up in a day-market fashion. Some sellers had animals that were making loud noises, others were selling fresh produce, and others selling their own crafts, including gems, ceramics, and leather. _Bingo._ The large fountain in the center served as a congregating place, it seems. There were groups of children playing around it, a small possy of women who were likely gossiping, and some hardy looking men who were laughing loudly, acting drunk despite the fact it was midday.

Approaching the leather shop, he hopped off of Star, leading her through the crowd. Once they stopped in front of the booth, Hyunsuk was greeted by a lanky man who looked to be somewhere in his 30’s. “What brings you here?” he asked cheerfully.

“Leather,” Hyunsuk replied with an incredulous tone.

“Of course you did,” the worker grunted, losing the happy tone in his voice. _Is it me, or is everyone really sensitive._ “What leather are you looking for?”

“A weapons belt,” Hyunsuk stated, but the added as an afterthought, “Please.”

“You’re so well mannered,” the man mumbled, then pulling out a black leather belt with all sorts of holsters, pockets, and slits to place and attach different types of weapons. “This comes in different colors, what do you want?”

“Black is fine.” Hyunsuk watched as the man ripped off a tag that had the price of 13 nummum off.

“15 nummum.” Under different circumstances, Hyunsuk would have totally argued with the guy, but he really wanted to check out the request board and get some money for those daggers, so he just empires the remaining coins from his bag onto the counter.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Hyunsuk rebuked, then marched off with the belt in hand and Star in tow. _Am I too harsh? I act the same as everyone else in Meerindal…_

Following the instructions from the lady at the bakery, Hyunsuk went left of the fountain, and found a large wooden board with many papers nailed into it. Taking a closer look, he saw that each paper was a work request, listing the work, pay, and where to go for said work. Most of the jobs were low pay, about 15 to 35 nummum, but then Hyunsuk saw one paper that was behind several others. It was a bit worn and torn, as if it had been there for a while.

**Farm & Animal Work**  
**Jiyong’s House on the Hill**  
**150 Nummum**

Hyunsuk pulled it off the board. He was surprised to find something with this pay, he expected anything with a good amount of money involved to get immediately snatched. Looking to either side, he saw some other people looking at the board, so he tapped a girl on the shoulder as she pulled off a paper titled **Clothes Repair.**

“Excuse me,” Hyunsuk softly caught her attention, “but where is ‘Jiyong’s House on the Hill?’ There isn’t an actual address on this.”

The girl, who had long brown hair and piercing green eyes that contrasted her dark skin, gave Hyunsuk a once over. “I’m surprised that guy still has a request on the board, he’s so weird. No one ever does his work, not since he showed up all those years ago.”

“What do you mean by ‘showed up all those years ago?’ And how is he so weird?”

“Exactly that. My parents told me that one day he came into town, hardly anything with him. Yet, the next day, he had set up a whole ranch on the hill. No one knows how he did it. Ever since he showed up, things changed in town, too. He kept giving people materials and money. People suspect that he does illegal activity or something to get it, so no one wants to work with him.” She stopped to clear her throat, and looked off in the distance, towards the many mountains surrounding the town. “I guess you’re kind of weird, too. I’ve never seen you in town before. Jiyong’s house is just down the way.” She pointed down the street, “It’s literally on this big hill on the right, you can’t miss it. There’s a long gravel path to get there.”

“Oh, um, thanks.” Hyunsuk gave a half smile. He neatly folded the paper and put it into his bag, then climbed onto Star, and went down the direction that the girl had pointed him in. Just as she said, the buildings eventually clear out, revealing a large building made out of wood perched on top of a large hill. He turned right onto the gravel path, taking note of his surroundings. Looking to his side, he saw a long river leading town from one of the mountains to the opposite side of the town, adjacent from where he had entered. From where he was, it also became very noticeable that there were plenty of trees on all of the surrounding mountains.

Approaching the house, which was really just a farm, he noted the large willow tree in the front with a bench underneath. Now that he was closer, Hyunsuk could also see that there were crops on the left of the building and animals to right. Some of them seemed to notice his presence as there was a noticeable increase in pig and cow sounds.

Stopping in front of the ‘house,’ Hyunsuk slid off of Star and knocked on the door. In less than ten seconds, the door swung open, revealing a man taller than Hyunsuk, though still not considered to be that tall, who was well-aged, and covered in markings, scars, and jewelry. Thinking back to school, he remembered learning that these markings were actually magical enhancements that can increase a person’s ability, or even give them a new one. The jewelry this man—Jiyong—wore were either things collected from defeating a dungeon, winning a tournament, or gifted by elite leaders. Not to mention the amount of scars he had. There was a large gash leading down his entire left arm, ending at his wrist. His exposed collar bone revealed a scar leading from somewhere under his close wrapping around to the back of his neck. The most noticeable once, however, was on his face, going from right under his hairline through his right eyebrow and eye, ending at his cheek.

Taking a look at him, Jiyong actually had pretty soft features. His face was smooth, excluding the scars, and perfectly symmetrical. By any person’s standard he’d be extremely handsome. The only inconsistency is that his right eye, the one with the scar, was extremely discolored. The left one was a dark brown, but the right was a very light grey color, but outlined with a pitch black and a dark pupil.

The guy was also muscular, his sleeveless shirt showing off the definition in his arms. Basically, the dude was a total badass. Everything about him screamed cool and intimidating. However, that facade broke once he opened his mouth.

“Oh my gosh!” he exclaimed, “I totally forgot! Let me get into more appropriate clothes, one minute Hyunsuk!” He promptly ran off, leaving Hyunsuk standing awkwardly alone in front of the house.

“But I didn’t even say my name…” He glanced over to Star, who began wandering around the openness of the grassy hill. With the door wide open, Hyunsuk decided to step inside Jiyong’s house.

The house was just as bizarre as Jiyong himself. First of all, there were all sorts of artifacts on display, from vases and paintings to weapons and tools. In the center of the entrance was a big carpet made from the skin of what appears to be an ursa—a large bear with sharp claws and strong jaw, known for being able to easily groups of people single handedly. Hanging from the ceiling was a grandiose chaneliere that looked straight out of some castle, not fitting in with the whole “house on a hill” thing. Though, what part of this house, or even Jiyong himself, did?

Speaking of which, Jiyong came running back into the room, this time without all the jewelry, clothes more fitting for work, and a surprisingly normal looking wood cutting axe. “I am so sorry about earlier, I totally forgot you were coming… I’ve lost track of time since, well, I can’t remember when because I lost track!”

“Were you expecting me? I’m confused…” Hyunsuk questioned.

“Follow me!” Jiyong redirected, not answering Hyunsuk. He led them through the house, exiting on the opposite side which gave direct access to his farm. “You know, not a person in this town has ever wanted to work for me? I think they see me as some crazy old guy or something.”

“Wonder why.”

“Well, now that you’re here, we can start with the farm.” Jiyong pointed toward the crops, which at closer inspection, didn’t exactly exist yet. “We need to plant everything, it’s finally the season to do so! Luckily there isn’t too much, but it still has to get done.” Hyunsuk watched as Jiyong exchanged his axe for a hoe and handed it over. “You do the hoeing, I’ll do the planting.”

And they did. They spent their time planting crops, feeding animals, and tending to Jiyong’s house. They spent their time talking, which ultimately just confused Hyunsuk more as Jiyong kept saying odd things that seemed to be directed at him. Other than that, everything was pretty… normal? If you could call Jiyong’s life normal.

“Okay, moving onto the last animal: the cattle.” Jiyong lifted up a bucket of equipment. “There isn’t too much to do since I tended to them yesterday, but I still need to brand some of the calves.” Jiyong then handed Hyunsuk the axe he brought out earlier. “Start by making a fire.”

Hyunsuk took the axe, and, as instructed by Jiyong, cut some wood and piled it up. Jiyong then demonstrated how to start a fire by rubbing a stick between his hands. Hyunsuk was tempted to ask him why he did just use his magic abilities that he clearly had access to, but he was trying to improve his apparently unappealing personality, as evidenced by the way some townsfolk had responded to him throughout the day.

Eventually sparks did fly, and the fire lit up. “There you go!” Jiyong hooted. He then pulled out a few metal rods, laying them on the ground. “I don’t have many cattle, because I don’t need that much, so we just need to label the three cows as 23, 24, and 25.” He pulled out the rods with the numbers 2,3,4, and 5 out, and began heating them over the fire.

Once heated up, Jiyong took the rods, and brought them toward the calves. Hyunsuk watched as he pressed the hot metal into the cows’ skin. Suddenly, he felt the hairs on his arms stand up and his side itch. He placed his left hand over his right rib, right where he himself had been branded years ago with a dark circle, sucking in all the color around it.

The pain was the most memorable thing. He remembered watching other kids his age all waiting in line to get their own Blackhole symbol. At the young age of eight, they hold a ceremony to officially indite children into the Blackhole. As if they even had a choice. Their only “choice” was where the mark got put. Many of them put their symbol where it could be easily seen; an arm, leg, even their face. Hyunsuk chose his right rib, where he didn’t have to ever see it, where no one had to see it. When the heat had touched his skin, he wanted to scream and yell. He couldn’t, though. If he did, he surely would’ve been locked away, if he was lucky. More likely, he would’ve been killed on the spot. He had seen it happen at previous ceremonies.

“...put these away?” Hyunsuk snapped out of his thoughts to be greeted with Jiyong handing him the branding sticks. _I guess I missed it._ He took them, placing them inside the shed right next to the indoor space of the animal barn. The shed was full of plenty of other tools, including the hoe they had used earlier.

Exiting the shed, Hyunsuk realised how late it had actually gotten. The sun was setting, fading from the wonderful bright colors of daylight to the dreary blackness of the night. He also realised how tired he had become. The excitement of the day was wearing off as Hyunsuk was in need of some shut eye.

He walked back toward the house to not only find that the fire he had made was still lit, but that Jiyong was crouching down by it. _What an interesting guy._ The girl in town made Jiyong out to be some terrifying guy, which he wasn’t. Sure, he may have looked intimidating at first, but after spending the day working for him, he wasn’t so bad. He told ridiculous stories of fantastical adventures and had weird items, but he was a caring guy that just wanted to live a simple life on a farm.

“Hey Hyunsuk, sit down.” Hyunsuk crouched down next to Jiyong, plopping down in a sitting position, then deciding to lay down. “What brought you here? To Monsver?”

Hyunsuk contemplated how to answer for a moment. “I wanted to start anew, I guess. So I left my family with not much to my name, and ended up here.”

“You know, that’s how I was, too.” Jiyong said with thought. “I decided to set out on an adventure when I was young, probably around your age. I didn’t even say anything, I just left.”

“What kind of adventure did you set out for?”

“Well, when I set out, it wasn’t for an adventure. I just felt like I had to get away. However, it turned into something more. I met so many people back then. We went to all kinds of places, did all sorts of things.” He paused to let out a big sigh. “It led me here. Alone. Could be worse. I could be dead. At least I’m alive and happy.”

Hyunsuk directed his vision towards the now dark sky. He took in all the stars and constellations, each telling their own story written in the blank canvas of space. “Jiyong? Why do the people in town think you’re so weird?”

“It’s because I’m different.” he stated simply. “People used to love me for being different. They said I was bringing on a revolution, a big change. It didn’t end well, I guess. So now I’m here, in a town that’s part of this weird ideology that everything is so black and white. I don’t fit in, though, because I can’t choose.”

“That’s how I feel, too. That’s why I left. No one understood me. I was different and couldn’t fall into the category given to me.” Hyunsuk placed his hand over his ribs. “I wish I could start a change.”

Jiyong gave a fond chuckle, and looked over towards Hyunsuk. “You remind me of myself. I miss when I was younger and so full of life. Now I’ve grown and have dealt with so much that I’ve succumbed to being this lonely weird guy.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise, it’s not your fault. Plus, it could be worse, I could be dead.” The way Jiyong said that made it seem very personal, as if he truly could be dead right now.

“I still will say sorry because I’m a person, you know? Obviously I can’t help everyone, but I can’t help but get the feeling that maybe if I had taken action sooner, things could be different now.” Hyunsuk turned to face Jiyong, and their eyes met.

“I used to think like that, too.” Jiyong then paused, and took in a long breath. “And I did it for a time, you know? But I guess that’s why we have eras. Things come to an end, and for good reason.” Jiyong then shuffled around, and pulled something out of his pocket. In the gleam of the moon, the shiny object was visible. It was triangular and silver, as if part of a circle had been cut out. Hyunsuk held out his hand, and Jiyong dropped it into his palm. With closer inspection, there was an arrow engraved into it. “This medallion was the end of my journey, but it’s the start of yours. Now rest, young one, you’ve had a long day.”

As if in a trance, Hyunsuk closed his eyes, and everything went still and silent.

☽ ☼ ☾

Hyunsuk woke up on the grass—in the same place as he had fallen asleep—to Star breathing directly into his face. The difference was that there was no house left. The animals and crops were all gone, all traces of Jiyong and his existence gone in an instant like a doused light. The reminisce of his warmth was still there, but he wasn’t actually there. He looked around. The trail was gone, but one thing remained; the large willow tree with the bench under it. Hyunsuk slinged his bag over his shoulder and headed over.

After crossing the curtain of willow leaves, Hyunsuk immediately noticed something on the bench. There was an envelope, but on top of it was the piece of medallion now threaded into a bracelet. He took it, fastening it around his left wrist with the leather tied neatly. On the envelope scribbled in a very Jiyong-like way was a note.

**To a happy adventure and safe travels!**  
**I gave you a little tip, by the way. I see that your belt is very empty.**

Opening the envelope revealed that there was at least 1000 nummum in it. _A little tip, huh._ For a few moments Hyunsuk just stood there, feeling a strange sense of loss. He felt Star nudge at his arm, so he turned around and stroked her black hair. He took in a deep breath before deciding to head back into town, pulling himself back up onto her.

Going back into Monsver felt strange after knowing the way the shunned Jiyong. Kind Jiyong. Speaking of which, Hyunsuk saw the girl from the previous day. The one who told him about how “weird” Jiyong is.

“Hey, excuse me!” he caught her attention. “It’s me, remember?”

She gave him a once over, her green eyes felt like lasers on his skin. “No, but what do you want?”

“I was just wondering what happened to Jiyong?”

“Jiyong?” she looked confused, “Who’s that? Is he from out of town?”

“Jiyong on the hill? You told me about him yesterday?”

“Look, I don’t know who you are or who you are talking about, so please just leave me alone…” She proceeded to march off away from Hyunsuk, who was rightfully confused. _It’s like he completely erased himself from Monsver…_

Trying not to think about it too much, Hyunsuk found his way back to the metalsmithery. When he got there, though, the door and windows were closed. He dismounted from Star and knocked on the door. He heard some rustling, and then the door cautiously opened revealing the nervous looking metalsmith. Once he saw Hyunsuk, he let out a breath, then opened the door the whole way, motioning for Hyunsuk to come in. He did, and he watched as the metalsmith put a sword leaning against the counter.

“Close the door, please,” the man said. Hyunsuk closed the door as quietly as he could. He turned around to see the man pulling out the throwing knives he said he would set aside for Hyunsuk. “Came for these, right? 750.”

“Right.” Hyunsuk pulled out the envelope with the nummum from Jiyong. He counted out 750 and gave it to the metalsmith. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

The metalsmith handed over the daggers. “Are you wanted for something? Last night some people came barging into my shop asking if they had seen a kid who was from out of town. They said he had bleached blonde hair, was 15, short, and had a lot of piercings.”

“Shit,” Hyunsuk snapped. “Are they still in town? What did you say?”

“I said I hadn’t seen anything, but I told them that people coming through normally head to Riorthaw, which is northeast of here. If you want to get out of here, you should go southeast to Soamill.” He nodded along anxiously as he began to attach the pouches for the throwing knives to his weapons belt.

“Thank you, but,” Hyunsuk anxiously looks at the door, “Why are you helping me?”

“Look, I can tell you mean no harm. You’re, what, a young teenager? It’s what any nice person would do.” The metalsmith spoke with such honesty that Hyunsuk questioned how he managed to lie to a bunch of assassins. “Now hurry and go, it’s best to leave as soon as you can.”

“Thank you!” Hyunsuk dashed out of the building, immediately hopping onto Star. using the sun, he directed himself to the southeast part of town, and began searching for the exit of the town. _It’s what any nice person would do._ Hyunsuk aspired to be like that nameless metalsmith and Jiyong. Doing nice things for other people just because. When he was growing up, no one ever did anything just to be nice. There was always something to gain from exploiting other people. If they couldn’t help, you just rid yourself of them.

As soon as Hyunsuk found the path leading out of town, he hurriedly followed it, and didn’t slow down until he couldn’t see Monver when he turned around. Now protected by the mountains and forest, Hyunsuk let out a sigh. Of course the Blackhole wouldn’t just let him go. As if they hadn’t caused enough trouble in his life. Once again, Hyunsuk was running from them. Another unfamiliar path that he had to follow.

Thinking about it, though, it wasn’t all too bad. At least he is out of Meeridal, out of the Blackhole. To Hyunsuk, it was better to be running from the thing he hates rather than being stuck in the middle of it. Compared to all the other kids he grew up with, he was lucky.

Suddenly he got reminded of a combat lesson he had at a young age. He couldn’t remember how old he was, but it was definitely in the single digits. It was their first time fighting to the death. A group had been sent out to retrieve some members from the Silver Cross to be used as a good practice for the assassins-to-be.

The first few kids who had to go did well. Of course it wasn’t up to the instructors’ standards, but at least they got the job done. Things went downhill when a girl had to go up and she started protesting. She had screamed, “No, I’m not doing this,” “I don’t want this,” “You can’t make me!” And she did just that: nothing. She just stood there as the Silver Cross member charged at her, tackling her. Her head hit the concrete at a merciless speed. The instructors didn’t intervene until she had been in a choke hold for 30 seconds.

One of them just dragged her away while the other knocked out the Silver Cross member, then calling for the next student, which was Hyunsuk. Of course he did his job swiftly and perfectly, just like his parents had forced him to be. “Top of the class” his instructor told him. He didn’t see the girl at school for two weeks, and when she came back she had significant scarring all across her arms and face. He wondered if the scarring continued to be just as bad under the layers of clothing she had. Hyunsuk could never recall if he had heard her speak again after that incident, it was considered taboo to speak about what had happened, let alone talk to the girl that caused such a disruption. That was the day Hyunsuk had realised he could never express his concerns about the Blackhole, no matter how big they grew.

It was also the day he decided that the Blackhole and Codification were equally as bad. The parts about the Blackhole were obvious, but for the Codification Hyunsuk was surprised that they were so easily pressed to attack children. They didn’t even seem upset about having to attack kids, only upset about losing to them.

Hyunsuk travelled down the path for a long time. The distance to Soamill was much farther than Meerindal. Of course he took multiple breaks for Star and himself to eat or drink or to even simply rest. The forest eventually opened up to the town with a giant sign on an arch titled **Soamill** in an elegant writing. The first thing he noticed was the lake that was surrounded by the woods. The trees seemingly leaned over the water, as if they were trying to touch the water. Hyunsuk and Star had made it to town just as the sun started to set. The lack of sun brought in a cool breeze that ruffled Hyunsuk’s hair. He pulled his hair through the bleached strands. _They are looking for a blonde kid, maybe I should change my hair._

The town looked very beautiful at night. It was built on the side of the lake, so there were loads of boats out in the water with lighting on them, glowing like stars in the sky. The moon reflected off of the water, adding light in a blue hue to the buildings and surrounding greenery. The structures also had little metal fixtures with lit candles in them. The whole town gave off a very calming feeling, especially with the buildings being made primarily from white bricks and outlined in a grey concrete. They even had proper roofs that were slanted with a grey tile.

Hyunsuk decided to stop by the docks, and sat with his legs hanging over the water. Meeridal didn’t have a river, let alone a lake. He never got to experience this sensation of being by a body of water. The cool updraft from water added to the tranquilness of the town. He took the moment to stop and reflect on the past two days. How he was able to change his whole life in such a short amount of time.

Maybe he was just being delusional, but now that he had had even just a small glimpse of life outside of the Blackhole, Hyunsuk could no longer imagine having such a confined life. He in no way would miss his past.

Hyunsuk took his time looking at the medallion fragment that Jiyong had given to him with the promise of a new journey. How had this thing ended Jiyong’s, though? Taking a closer look at the piece of silver, Hyunsuk realised a few things. First of all, it clearly is meant to be attached to other pieces at each side, which would make it into a whole circle. He couldn’t tell how many pieces it would actually be, but he would guess that it would be around 10. The other thing was that the end of the piece that would be at the center of the circle was also curved, as if there was meant to be another smaller circle in the center of the medallion.

The thing that was most perplexing to Hyunsuk is what he was even supposed to do. Obviously it seemed like he was meant to collect all of the pieces of this medallion, but how? How would he find these pieces? It’s not like a sign would just hit him in the face.

“Don’t you see? It’s a sign!” he heard someone yell. Hyunsuk whipped his head to the left, and briefly saw a tall and handsome guy before getting greeted with a shoulder to the face.

“Oh my god, Kim Junkyu!” Hyunsuk heard someone yell from a bit of a distance, “Look at what you’ve done!”

“Were you even listening to me?” his attacker (Kim Junkyu, was it?) shouted back.

Hyunsuk’s last thoughts were about how he didn’t mean to be literally hit in the face, but he couldn’t even respond to the two lunatics who were now staring at him as he started fading out of consciousness.

☽ ☼ ☾

“Oh lord…” Hyunsuk groaned as he sat up. He looked around to find himself in a small room that really only consisted of the small bed he was seated on, a small drawer with a mirror above it, and a bedside table that had a few candles lit despite the light from the sun shining in through the window. He saw his bag tucked in the corner of the room.

Hyunsuk rubbed his head. _That guy has one hell of a shoulder._ Swinging himself out of bed, he padded over to his bag, putting on a clean pair of clothes after who knows how long. He also took the moment to stare at himself in the mirror. Not out of being vain, but out of curiosity. Looking at his body, Hyunsuk could already see that he looked different. His skin never had had color before, but even just two days out in the sun have given him a much more lively look. He pulled up his shirt and frowned at the blackhole on his right rib. He wished he could just get rid of it, but it was branded into him.

Dropping his hand from his clothes, Hyunsuk then looked at his face. Was it odd that he himself could tell that he looked happier? He no longer had eye bags that at some point seemed to be a permanent feature on him. His eyes also seemed brighter. It might have been from the sunlight coming in from the window, but Hyunsuk liked the thought that it was from his own great mood.

Suddenly Hyunsuk could hear shuffling from outside the room he was in, and he remembered what had happened last night. Suddenly his face felt hot from embarrassment. _Did I pass out? Oh gosh, this is just…_

The door burst open, and a loud voice greeted him with a “Good morning!” Hyunsuk recognized him as the guy who shouldered him in the face. _Oh right, this is supposed to be a sign._ Now getting a better look at the guy, Hyunsuk still stood by his previous thoughts; tall and handsome. He had jet black hair that was parted slightly off center to the right. His face could only be described as flawless. He seemed like a polished person as his skin was basically glowing. Every feature was perfectly proportioned, not just on his face, but on his whole body. Except for his legs. He had legs for days. _Unfair._ He had a big smile on his face, aswell, showing off his perfectly white teeth and even smile.

The boy gave off such a young and happy energy, that Hyunsuk couldn’t help smiling when seeing him. The guy was decked out in black clothing. He had the dark combat boots that pulled up to right below his knees with black pants meeting them. He had on a dark grey shirt with a short sleeved black pull over that seemed to be made of leather. Having his arms exposed let the guy’s muscles be very visible. Most noticeable was a giant scythe that was attached to his backside.

Next walked in a second guy. They gave off the same bright and friendly vibe as the first person, though they had opposite charms. This guy had a cute face with eyes that were defined, giving him a youthful look. He also wore a smile that lifted up his cheek bones. This boy also had black hair with bangs that flopped over his forehead. While he wasn’t as tall as the previous boy, he still had height to him. He was even more polished than the first boy. If Hyunsuk had to guess, he’d say they were about the same age and both probably had gone through some sort of fancy and expensive training, but the second one definitely had been through it longer.

He wore short boots and black britches which left half his leg exposed, except for the fact that a bandage was wrapped around his entire right leg. A dark brown belt was fastened around his waist with several pockets. He had a white shirt tucked into his pants and a dark red cloak on that had no sleeves, and ended at his knees. When he shifted around, Hyunsuk could see that his right arm was also completely wrapped in a bandage, from the wrist to where it met his sleeve. Also fastened to his backside was a large wooden staff that wound around itself and held a purple gem in it.

“Look, sleeping beauty woke up!” the second boy said, then glanced at his friend, “Isn’t there something you want to say?”

“We made breakfast!” the handsome boy chriped, and let out a big smile. The cute one kicked his ankle. “I mean, uhh… Sorry for knocking out. In my defense, you have a weak head.”

“Sorry for my dipshit friend, his name is Junkyu, by the way,” the second boy also gave a smile, “I’m Jihoon! Nice to meet you!” Jihoon then stuck his hand out, which Hyunsuk shook.

“Thanks. I’m Hyunsuk,” Hyunsuk responded, but then awkwardly added on, “by the way.” The friends just laughed at him.

“We actually did make breakfast, and I’m hungry, so come with us,” Junkyu repeated, then grabbed Hyunsuk by the wrist and pulled him out of the room.

“Where are we? Is this your house?” Hyunsuk asked.

“No, this is just an inn. We’re also from out of town. This place had two rooms and this kitchen slash dining slash living slash whatever room.” Jihoon said as Junkyu sat Hyunsuk down at a small table. Jihoon then set down a plate of food in front of him that consisted of egg, meat, and some assorted fruits. Junkyu then set glasses of water out for all of them.

“How do you know I’m from out of town?” Hyunsuk questioned aloud.

“It was kind of obvious. I mean you had a horse _and_ a bag. That’s like the top two things travellers have.” Junkyu stated as if it was a known fact. “How old are you?”

“Fifteen, you?”

“We’re both fourteen. He doesn’t act like it, though.” Jihoon pointed at Junkyu.

“HEY! You’re the one who always laughs at everything!” Junkyu retorted.

“Yeah, and? You do, too. All the time. And your laugh is loud and obnoxious.”

Hyunsuk almost felt normal sitting in between the bickering friends. _Friends. Could these two ever become my friends?_ He almost felt like he didn’t just run away from a bunch of murderers, work for some disappearing mysterious man, or just get knocked out on the dock.

“So what’s your deal? What brought you out here to Soamill?” Jihoon asked Hyunsuk.

“Well,” Hyunsuk sighed, choosing his words carefully while taking a bite of egg, “I decided to up and leave home. I just kind of didn’t fit in. It was time for a change, an adventure.”

“No way!” Junkyu exclaimed, “That’s basically what we did! We could, you know, go on an adventure together!”

“We just met, you guys seriously wouldn’t want someone like me around,” Hyunsuk deflected. “I’d probably just make trouble.”

“No, actually.” Jihoon stated. “If I’m not incorrect in my evaluation of you, then you’re an attacker, right? Junkyu is a tank, I’m a healer, and then you could be the damage. We’d be like the perfect warrior trio.”

“You guys are being serious?” Hyunsuk suspiciously asked.

They both nodded their heads, basically pleading Hyunsuk with their eyes. “I promise we aren’t as bad as we seem. I mean I know I kind of hit you when we first met, but first impressions aren’t everything, right? Plus I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy our company, especially considering you were alone before. The more the merrier! I’ll even—”

“Okay.” Hyunsuk interrupted Junkyu.

“Okay what?” Jihoon asked.

“I mean okay, we should go on an adventure together.”

Junkyu basically screamed, which led to Jihoon whacking his shoulder and telling him to “settle down.” The friends continued to bicker, but had smiles plastered on their faces the whole time. And Hyunsuk? Hyunsuk also smiled. Bigger and brighter than ever before. He watched as Junkyu started jumping up and down in excitement, which Jihoon tried to stop him from accidentally breaking anything, but instead ended up tripping over Junkyu himself. Junkyu then started laughing hysterically at Jihoon even though it wasn’t that funny. Even so, Hyunsuk, too, felt himself laughing. _Laughing._

He could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter out! I hope you all like what I did with Hyunsuk's character. I'm super excited to develop his character (as well as everyone else's)!  
> Sorry that I did put this out sooner, I got busy. Lame excuse I know, but hopefully the length of this chapter makes up for it?  
> Sorry for any formatting errors again. This website took a shit because i did close any of my italics or bolds, which made it really difficult and annoying to fix...  
> Anyways, next chapter will be Junkyu. I hope ya'll like the way I'm introducing one character at a time, but also showing how they all meet? You might have been able to tell, but I also set up some future plot points in this chapter, so look forward to thank.  
> Anyways, please let me know what you think! I'm super excited to write this and I have so many ideas! I'm so inspired right now. Too bad it's almost 2 a.m, otherwise I would totally keep writing.  
> Feedback and criticism is always accepted!


	3. Enter: Kim Junkyu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junkyu had glanced up towards the blue sky, expecting to just see unidentifiable figures in the form of clouds. However, glistening in the sunlight, was a large bird. Its feathers on the wings were a dark purply-red color. Maroon, was it called? It seemed to be on fire, the edges of the wings a deep orange, yet Junkyu could not see any smoke trailing the animal. Its body and head were the same maroon color with golden crested talons leading up to the edge of its wings. Its beak was tinted a cool blue color with eyes glowing orange like flames. All along its face and trailing down its chest were specks of blue feathers, which increased in volume, creating an almost tail-like blue trail of feathers. The shadow that the bird had cast down went right in between the boys on the path, and went across the forest.

Junkyu was born poor. He never liked to gloss over that fact because to him, it proves that his hard work got him to where he stood now. He grew up in a small town on the coast of Kenmai called Mowwa. He remembered playing on the port with all the other children, greeting sailors who came through the town, and fishing in the ocean to try and make ends meet for his family.

He used to take odd-ball requests in the town just to get very little pay. Often he got ripped off and his work was all for nothing. At some point in his childhood, he decided that there was only one way he was going to make his life better. He was going to join the Codification. Easier said than done. In his efforts, he learned that people have to be incredibly skilled to join the Codification. All Junkyu’s life, he had no ability (that he knew of, at least). The only thing he had over the other kids his age were his height and strength that he gained from his constant work.

Rather than just giving up, Junkyu started a self-training program. He was determined to have a better life. Every free hour he had, Junkyu would exercise. He was commonly found taking jogs around the town, off strength training in the woods, or swimming in the ocean. Seeing his dedication, for his 9th birthday his parents got him a sword, which was his first ever weapon. It was a cheap weapon, but it was more than he could ever ask for. So he continued training. 

Most people thought he was crazy. No one believed in him, they all were thinking that Junkyu was going through some weird faze that he would grow out of. So when it was announced that Kenmai was holding a national tournament to “find young talent,” everyone tried to convince him to not go. Even his own parents. His mother had told him that he’d only be disappointed by the results.

Obviously he didn’t listen to anyone. The tournament was taking place in the capital, Animamea, which was far, far away from Mowwa. It was located in the middle of the country, and for a moment Junkyu thought his journey was going to end before it even started, but his saving grace showed up in town; a wandering merchant. Of course this merchant didn’t know he was going to be Junkyu’s saving grace, but to Junkyu those are just unnecessary details.

He had caught wind that the merchant was going to go to Animamea to get profit from the tournament, so like any highly intelligent nine-year-old, he hid in the back of his caravan during the middle of the night. He had no second thoughts, took no consideration of how he would get back home, just hopped in the back and called it a night and fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was to movement. He smiled to himself. _Codification, here I come!_ The one thing that Junkyu definitely shouldn’t have overlooked was how long and boring it is to be aimlessly sitting in the back of a stranger’s caravan. By the end of the first day, the 9-year-old needed something to do. Luckily for him, he was literally in a moving store, so he began to mess around with all the magical items the merchant had been carrying around. There were all sorts of weapons, potions, plants, and other odd magical items that Junkyu had never seen before including old artifacts and parts of creatures.

The main thing of interest to Junkyu was one of the weapons. A large large sword, specifically a two-handed sword, that was quite bulky. It had a straight and sharpened edge and a circular cut out at the end that reminded Junkyu of a butcher's knife. The sword was huge, actually. It was around three feet long, which for any nine-year-old, including the tall Junkyu, was a huge portion of their height. The weapon was also quite heavy, several pounds, in contrast to the typical normal-sized swords he had become accustomed to. The moment he had laid eyes on the sword, Junkyu had decided _I’m taking it._

The trip to Animamea was quite boring for Junkyu. Sure, he had continued to mess around with all the merchant’s goods, but the trip took what had felt like weeks, and every time they stopped in a town, Junkyu had to run off and find food to carry him over for the next day. In all honesty, it was nothing short of a miracle that Junkyu wasn’t found out at any point during the trip. There were many close calls, like when he accidentally knocked a bunch of items out of the back of the caravan, or when he almost missed it and had to chase after it and hop in the back while it was moving, and countless other times.

As soon as they had arrived at the capital, Junkyu jumped out of the back of the merchant’s cart and took the two-handed sword with him. Resting the weapon on his shoulder, he ran into the crowd of people, heading straight towards the giant area he could see off in the distance. It was tall and circular, made up of a white stone with grey pillars. As he got closer, he could see the large entrance that several people were standing in front of.

There was a small line formed in front of this table set right in front of the arena where a woman was behind, writing on a paper with a fountain pen—one of those fancy inventions that Junkyu had never seen in real life. _The privilege of the capital._ Once he stood in the line, though, Junkyu felt out of place. He was alone, wearing his worn out clothes, and just overall did not look like he belonged in the capital. Everything here was new and pristin, kept in tip-top condition. Junkyu on the other hand was just some run down kid from one of the poorer regions of the country. Everything he ever came into contact with was old and used.

Suddenly feeling anxious, Junkyu shifted his weight on his feet, desperately wanting to get out of the line and away from the kids who kept giving him judging glances. He decided to just stare at his shoes—brown boots that were two sizes too big and tattered. He became so focused on the ground that he almost didn’t notice getting called forward to the table, which he awkwardly scrambled towards.

The lady gave Junkyu a once over, then she pulled out a piece of parchment. “I assume you’re here to sign up for the ‘Tournament to Find Young Talent?’” she asked, looking Junkyu right in the eyes.

“Uhm, yes…” Junkyu shifted his weight again. “Is that the actual name of the event?”

“Yes,” the lady said, unamused. “You’d think that the Codification could come up with a better name, but no.” She placed the fountain pen in front of Junkyu. “Write your full name at the top of the parchment, then fill out the form.”

Junkyu took hold of the pen. It felt odd in his hand, but he positioned it so it wouldn’t slip. Slowly and carefully he wrote his name on the top of the paper. He remembered his parents trying so hard to make him remember how to draw each letter, reminding him of how important it was to be able to spell his name correctly. _Kim Junkyu._ His confidence once again plummeted after he finished writing his name as he glanced at the familiar letters on the page. He could pick out and name a few of them (mainly the ones that made up his name), but they meant nothing to him. Scratching his head, he looked back up at the lady.

“E-excuse me?” He asked her. She looked up from a pile of parchment she was reading through. Presumably double checking other applications. “I’m sorry, but I…” Junkyu trailed off, embarrassed.

“What, can’t read? What’s your deal?” She asked, looking a bit annoyed.

“A-actually, I can’t…” Junkyu stared back at the parchment, willing his brain to make sense of the words, but it was hopeless.

“Fine, give it here,” she then pulled the parchment back and began reading. “Age,” she stated simply, then looked directly at Junkyu who said nothing. “What’s your age?”

“O-oh. I’m nine years old.”

“Origin. Are you from Animamea or from out of town?”

“I’m from Mowwa.”

“Of course you are…” she then moved the pen across the paper, nice and fluidly. “Weapons and items?”

Junkyu held up the sword he stole from the merchant. “This.” Then there was a break of silence. “That’s all I have.”

“Okay.” She marked down something on the parchment once again, then started speaking. “So the way the tournament will work is that tomorrow we will be holding a showdown to choose that participants. The top 32 will then be placed in a bracket and face each other one on one. The winner will then be allowed to join the Codification. The showdown will be closed, meaning that there will be no public viewing, only the Codification and other officials that are needed to run it. The bracket part of the tournament will be open for public viewing. Any injuries received will be treated by the Codification to the best of their abilities, but the Codification will not be deemed responsible for chronic injuries or death. Free housing provided by the Codification is offered to those participating from out of town, which includes food and a training area which is available to all participants. Do you agree to all these terms?”

“Yes!” Junkyu nearly yelled. He suddenly felt excited. _Free food!_

She then scribbled down more on the paper, then looked back up to Junkyu. “So… Kim Junkyu? If you look behind you there is a woman who is dressed in a white robe. Her name is Micha, and she will show you to your housing.”

Looking behind him immediately saw a woman dressed in all white standing by a large tree. She had long and dark hair that reached halfway down her torso. She had to either be in her 20’s or 30’s, which to Junkyu had no difference. He walked over to her, giving a small wave. She smiled at him.

“Hello there. What’s your name?” she asked, kneeling down a bit to be at eye level with the nine-year-old.

“Junkyu.”

“Junkyu? That’s a nice name. I’m Micha. I assume Baechul sent you over since you need housing?” Junkyu nodded. “Okay, why don’t you just follow me then.”

Micha then led Junkyu through the city, and he took the walk to really take in his surroundings. Most of the town looked the same as any other. Lots of houses, shops, and what-not. The differences was that the materials were a lot nicer and well kept. Similar to the arena, much of the town was made up of white stone, giving it a very clean look. Every house also had those fancy slanted roofs made of dark tiles. However, even the nice looking houses weren’t the most impressive thing. Off in the far distance, Junkyu could see a very large building. It towered above everything else with its excessive height. It was made up of many different towers, each with cone shaped roofs. The whole structure was built with grey stone bricks, and seemed to have its own grand entrance, more guarded than the entrance to the city. Even though it was at such a distance, the building was still huge, but Junkyu could not make out any specific details of it, so instead he asked.

“What’s that building over there?” Junkyu pointed towards it.

“You don’t know? That castle used to be the home of many kings and queens who ruled over Kenmai. Of course as we’ve developed as a country, we no longer have the status of king or queen, but it is where the government and the Kenmaian Codification are set up. It is their main headquarters of sorts. They use it to direct a lot of the activity that happens here.” Micha then slowed down her walking and turned to the side. “Anyways, here is where you’ll be staying.”

Junkyu also turned and was greeted to a large cabin that was surrounded by woods. The cabin was completely made out of logs, making it look a lot more cozy than the other buildings in Animamea. He turned to say something to Micha, but found that she was no longer standing next to him, and presumably left to go and show other children to the cabin, so he decided to just step inside. He was immediately greeted to the fresh smell of food, specifically bread. There was a small kitchen that a few boys were gathered around inside. They all were laughing, talking, and stuffing their faces with bread.

One boy sat on a countertop with brown bangs in front of his forehead. His face was a bit chubby, but it softened his features, but once he made eye contact with Junkyu, his face focused on him. His eyes sharpened, and any comforting aspect seemed to dissipate. Another boy was standing while leaning against the wall with a smile planted on his face. He had deep dimples that indented his soft skin. The final boy had his back facing Junkyu, but turned at the sound of his entrance. He had black hair that was slicked to the side, and had sharp features despite his youthful face. Junkyu just kind of froze in the door frame as the three pairs of eyes stared him down.

The boy with the black hair then broke out in a smile and gave him a small bow. “Hey, hey!” he greeted. “The more the merrier! Want some bread?”

“Sure…” Junkyu responded, though sounding skeptical. The boy leaning against the wall then offered him a plate of bread, which Junkyu gladly took.

The boy with dimples introduced himself as Soobin and the black haired boy as Hyunjin. Junkyu likewise responded with his own introduction.

“So, where are you from Junkyu?” asked Hyunjin.

“Mowwa.”

“Mowwa? I’m not familiar, where is that?” Soobin wondered.

The boy sitting on the counter then responded with a very nasty tone, “No wonder you’re not familiar, it’s just some nowhere town where a bunch of poor people live. This one is no different, he’s hopeless.” He then hopped off the counter and stormed out through another door that seemed to lead to another room.

“Oh god, just ignore him,” Hyunjin said. “Donghyuk is just some spoiled rich kid who feels like he has to prove himself for whatever reason. He thinks that this tournament should only be for ‘privileged children’ like himself.”

“The worst part is that he will probably win the tournament, too.” Soobin added. “He’s a great fighter and it gets to his head. Anyways… Tell us more about Mowwa.”

Before he could start feeling down about Donghyuk’s outburst, Junkyu began retelling stories from his childhood of catching fish from the ocean and playing out in the woods. Hyunjin and Soobin also indulged him with their own journeys up until this point. They spoke for what felt like hours until Soobin offered to show Junkyu around, which he obviously agreed to. He put his sword leaning against the wall as they first showed him the housing rooms. They weren’t very large, but had enough space for three bunk beds and a dresser which was filled with clean clothes that Junkyu immediately changed into. There was also a bathing room that was large enough to fit many people in it at once, which made sense for this type of housing.

Finally they Junkyu out the back side of the cabin which opened into a large clearing in the woods withs a bunch of training supplies. There were several children outside practicing for the showdown tomorrow. Soobin pointed to the opposite of the clearing where another cabin was which was for the female contestants. He gave Junkyu a warning that the girls were very feisty and to not bother them, which seemed about right to the nine-year-old. 

The three decided to join in on the training, Junkyu telling them that he needed help to get used to his new sword. So they spent a long time in that clearing in the woods, just practicing and laughing. And Junkyu felt good. Despite looking very out of place, despite being glared at by Donghyuk from across the field, despite it all, Junkyu felt happy and giddy. He couldn’t wait for the tournament, he was so excited to prove himself. To whom he was proving himself to he wasn’t sure. Was it his parents? Donghyuk? Himself? Who knows. He just felt the need to do his absolute best.

So as he hit the training dummy with his sword, adjusting to the weight of it, he gave every strike with all of the strength he could. By sun down, he was exhausted and in need of food and water. The boys were pleasantly surprised to be greeted with just that when they reentered the cabin. Junkyu ended up stuffing his face with all sorts of meats and fruits that he had never seen before in his life. The water was also more clean than anything he had ever had. Basically, this was everything Junkyu could have ever dreamed of. So with a full stomach, Junkyu fell asleep while talking to Hyunjin and Soobin in their respective beds.

☽ ☼ ☾

Junkyu was awoken to all sorts of commotion. It seemed that everyone was shouting, and it lured him from the warmth of his bed to the kitchen. When he entered he saw that Donghyuk Had broken out into a fight with some of the other boys. Soobin was trying to calm him down, but Donghyuk just kept yelling.

“What’s going on in here?” Junkyu asked cautiously, causing everyone’s head to turn towards him.

“Nothing that concerns you,” Donghyuk bluntly retorted, then turned away.

“It _does_ concern me. You disrupted my precious sleep.”

“Whatever.” Once again Donghyuk stormed out of the room.

“What’s his deal?” Junkyu then sat down at the table, and Soobin sat next to him, placing a plate of eggs in front of both of them.

“He got into an argument about who should win and why.” Soobin said in between stuffing his face. “Said it should be him because he’s been raised his whole life for this and deserves it.”

Junkyu didn’t respond, just ate while thinking. He ended up spacing out until Hyunjin sat down in front of him, sparking conversation between the trio once again. It mainly consisted of questions of nervousness and excitement. These talks carried on until they had to leave the cabin for the arena. Junkyu changed into a fresh pair of clothes which consisted of black pants, a white shirt, and a fresh pair of brown boots. He picked up his sword and began heading towards the arena with the rest of the contestants.

Once everyone had arrived, Baechul opened the gates to the arena, and all of the competitors entered. If Junkyu had to estimate how many there were, it would be around 200. Definitely more than 100. _I just have to do better than… Well, a lot of people. That’s doable… right?_

Baechul then spoke up. “Teaming is not allowed, however it is acceptable to help other contestants. Only registered weapons and items are allowed. All magic is allowed. You are considered out if you are no longer able to continue fighting. The showdown starts at the sound of this flare.” She motions towards a funny looking gun in her hand. “Everyone get ready.”

As Baechul left the arena, Junkyu finally looked around. The stands were raised far above the fighting area so that competitors couldn’t just climb out of the arena. He wouldn’t be surprised if there was also an invisible barrier so that any misfired weapons or magic wouldn’t just hit spectators. Speaking of which, true to Baechul’s words, there wasn’t an audience except for a group of about fifteen people. They all stood at a part in the stands that was completely separated. Junkyu figured that kings and queens used to sit there with their guard protecting them. There was even a grandiose chair that was larger than any seat Junkyu had ever seen. A man sat in it. He was wearing a red silk outfit with gold and white designs embroidered into it. He looked around at all the contestants, seemingly uninterested. Surrounding him were a couple other adults, but they were dressed in silver armor and each held a sword. There seemed to be a cape attached to them, though Junkyu couldn’t see their backsides.

There were some other adults as well, all wearing white outfits. Junkyu was unfamiliar with what their jobs would be, but he could tell they were extremely important. They all seemed laser focused on the arena, some even having books or scrolls to write in. Perhaps they were scholars? There was one person, though, that stood out to Junkyu. Unlike everyone else viewing, he was young, around Junkyu’s age. He had a smile plastered onto his face, one that raised his cheeks and scrunched up his eyes. He had black, slightly tousled hair with bangs that hung over his forehead. The boy looked in Junkyu’s direction and they made eye contact, but neither looked away. The boy’s smile faded into a curious expression as he tilted his head slightly. Junkyu felt somewhat exposed, as if he was a book that was being flipped through relentlessly.

He forced his eyes away, shaking his head as if trying to get out of a trance. He decided to put his focus on the task at hand and scanned the arena in search of Hyunjin or Soobin. Before he could spot either of them, a loud, shrill sound blared in his ears. He looked around to find the source of it, but instead saw a bright red color in the air. Instantaneously he heard the kids around him start yelling and running around. Before anyone could actually accomplish anything, the ground started to rumble and the stone flooring shifted, bringing up mounds from the ground. The terrain shifted beneath him, and Junkyu was hoisted upward. As he was being moved, he felt a push from behind him, so he turned to find himself face to face with an older girl who was also on the mound with him. She pulled out a small knife and went to stab Junkyu, but he reacted, swinging his sword towards her much faster. He hit her in the side, causing her to lose balance and stumble backwards off the mound. He stepped forward to watch her fall, and she landed on her back and stopped moving. The ground then wrapped around her, and she disappeared into it.

The drop wasn’t too far, but the way she landed no doubtitly knocked her out, so Junkyu carefully climbed down a bit of the way, then jumped halfway, landing on his feet and bending his knees. He quickly surveyed the arena and saw a familiar head of black hair being pinned to the ground by someone with a gun pointed to his head. Junkyu charged over with his sword in front of him, hitting the guy in the chest with the sharp edge.

Hyunjin groaned and sat up. “Thanks Junkyu.” Junkyu held his hand out, and Hyunjin took it and was pulled to his feet.

“Have you seen Soobin?” Junkyu asked.

“Not since the battle started, but he was on the opposite side of the arena beforehand.” Hyunjin then pointed towards the side of the arena with the Codification members. Hyunjin then drew his bow and knocked an arrow in it and began to head over to that side of the arena. Junkyu followed, holding his sword in a defensive position and occasionally glancing behind him.

As they approached the opposite end of the arena they finally found Soobin, who was huddled behind one of the mounds brought up from the arena. He had a club with sharp spikes on it and looked ready to hit the two boys, but backed down after he recognized them. 

“Thank god you found me, I stand no chance out here on my own.” Soobin said, releasing a breath he had been holding in. “There are several groups who are also teamed, but most of them seem to be older and more experienced than us.”

“Yeah, I saw some of that earlier. I was able to take a couple down. Luckily Junkyu was there to save me.” Hyunjin looked over at Junkyu, who started to space out. “Right Junkyu?”

“Oh! Yeah. You’re welcome.” Junkyu gave both of them a smile. “Have either of you come across Donghyuk?”

“No, but I’m pretty sure he’s going solo right now.” Soobin replied.

“No doubt he’ll make it to the final 32. He’s the top candidate for first place.” Hyunjin inquired.

“Well, we should get out and do some work. That’s why we are here in the first place.” Junkyu stood up, the other two following suit.

The trio ended up defeating several small groups and some individual competitors. It was surprisingly easy for them, but Junkyu figured that the stronger fighters were off picking more difficult fights than themselves. It was pretty much smooth sailing until they came across one of said stronger fighters. In fact, it wasn’t just one, but two. The three boys came across them singling out Donghyuk, who refused defeat.

Junkyu thought about just ignoring them, but for some reason he felt the need to help the boy, even though he had been nothing but rude to Junkyu thus far. So when he watched Donghyuk get tackled to the ground, Junkyu surprised himself by jumping on his attacker. They rolled off of Donghyuk with Junkyu pinning the boy down on his back. Donghyuk then got up off the ground and charged after the two, drawing his sword. Double teaming the boy distracted him, so he wasn’t prepared for when Donghyuk slashed his neck with his sword.

Junkyu had to close his eyes, distrurbed by the image of the boy underneath him getting slaughtered. He didn’t open them until he felt the body disappear from underneath him. He cautiously glanced towards Donghyuk who met his gaze.

They were both pulled back to reality at the sound of Soobin calling out in pain. Junkyu nearly snapped his own neck when he looked towards them. Immediately he got up off the ground and ran over as he saw Soobin being impaled through the chest with a knife. The girl who had done it was unaware of Junkyu’s existence, so he held his sword out in front of him, hitting her square in the back. As she drew her attention away from Hyunjin and Soobin, an arrow pierced her in the head and she fell over.

Junkyu turned back around to see Soobin being swallowed by the ground along with the girl. Junkyu gritted his teeth and took in a deep breath. Donghyuk was scratching the back of his neck while shifting his weight between his feet. He mumbled something under his breath.

“What did you say?” Junkyu asked with genuine curiosity.

“I said thank you,” Donghyuk all but snapped, but then shifted his voice to a softer tone, “ Now don’t make me say it again.”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes and whispered towards Junkyu, “It wasn’t worth losing Soobin for him.”

Junkyu just shrugged him off and directed his attention back towards Donghyuk. “There probably aren’t many contestants left to be eliminated, so we might as well just continue fighting.”

Donghyuk just nodded in response and started walking away with Junkyu and Hyunjin awkwardly trailing behind him. Trying to redirect everyone’s thoughts, Junkyu pointed to the people watching their showdown. “Who are they?”

“The Codification.” Hyunjin stated.

“Duh,” Donghyuck slowed his pace down to match up with the other two boys.

“Well I know that,” Junkyu slightly rolled his eyes, “But like, who are they… Specifically?”

“The important looking dude in the chair,” Donghyuck emphasised his words by swinging his arms around, careful not to hit anything with his sword, “Is Kenmai’s leader.”

“Yeah, what he said,” Hyunjin then looked away from Donghyuk.

“He just goes by Officer Seo, and he is Kenmai’s representative in the Global Codification. He basically controls what the Codification does in our country, and he is widely respected.” Donghyuk glanced at Hyunjin, but then refocused his attention on Junkyu. “The armored guys around him are Silver Cross members whose job is just protecting Officer Seo. The others are from different sectors of the Codification who are here to assess us.”

Junkyu looked back up towards the Codification members and once again made eye contact with the young boy. Junkyu instantly whipped his head back around and just hummed in acknowledgement.

Not much else happened until the very end of the showdown when Baechul announced that there were only 5 more eliminations remaining. A lot of participants got cocky and aggressive, so when a small boy jumped on Junkyu’s back and tackled him to the ground, he should’ve been prepared. He also definitely shouldn’t have lost hold of the sword in his hands. As he was put in a chokehold, Junkyu thrashed around, trying to flip himself over or shake the boy off. Luckily for him, Donghyuk was prepared and did act appropriately by piercing his sword through the unsuspecting boy’s shoulder, then pushing him off of Junkyu before finishing him off.

Junkyu began violently coughing while Hyunjin rubbed his shoulders to calm him down. Donghyuk gave him a small smile and simply said, “Now we’re even.”

Another burst of color in the air went off, surprising Junkyu. The ground in the arena rumbled and shifted back to a flat terrain. The entrance that all the contestants had walked through opened again with Baechul entering and announcing everyone’s victory. She went on to explain the plans for the next day, the bracket tournament. In the morning all of them had to meet at the entrance again where they could find the brackets posted and proceed to fight in that order.

Until then, the boys were told to go back to their housing arrangements. Upon arrival, they saw that while none of the eliminated contestants were present, all their items still remained, including Soobin’s. Hyunjin pressed his lips together at the sight, sighed, and left the room, leaving Junkyu alone. He decided to venture to Donghyuk’s room, and when entering he found that there were several boys all in their own beds, a familiar head of brown hair was buried in a book in which he was writing. At the sound of the door opening, Donghyuck looked up at Junkyu, and for a moment they stayed like without saying a word. Donghyuck then silently got up, leaving the book on his bed, and the two boys went out to the kitchen.

For a while they just stood there in awkward silence, the only sound coming from the other rooms where other kids were conversing. Donghyuk eventually jumped on the counter and gave Junkyu a pointed look and a, “What?”

Junkyu nibbled on his lip from nervousness, but eventually cleared his throat, “I just wanted to… to…” he trailed off, but spoke up again when greeted with a judgeful look from Donghyuck. “Wanted to know why you didn’t like me? I mean… Nevermind this is dumb, just forget I asked.”

Junkyu was about to turn away when Donghyuck grabbed onto his sleeve and sighed. “It’s not… Dumb, I guess.” He paused for a moment, then reworded it, “I mean it is… Um, not you. Me, that is. I just… I’ve been preparing for this for my whole life. This is my opportunity to finally become part of something bigger than me. And to me you were just some poor kid who was doing this without really understanding the honor of it.” He looked down embarrassed.

“I’ve also been preparing for this,” Junkyu stated, “I know I am just some poor kid, and I guess I don’t really understand exactly what I’m getting myself into, but I really want this. I _need_ this.” Donghyuck met his gaze, looking apologetic. “If it makes you feel any better, I also did not think highly of you.”

“Then why did you save me?”

“Because…” Junkyu took a moment to think. _Why did I do that?_ There was no real explanation. They weren’t friends, infact Donghyuk was the closest he had ever had to an enemy, but Junkyu was compelled to help him. Was it because he was curious? “It felt right.”

Satisfied with his answer, Junkyu gave a big smile to Donghyuk and bit him goodnight.

☽ ☼ ☾

“Junkyu!” a loud voice shouted right into his face first thing in the morning. Junkyu groaned and rolled over, keeping his eyes sealed shut. “Wake up sleepy head, you have to check your brackets!”

Once he recognized the voice, Junkyu immediately jumped out of bed, pulling Soobin into a giant bear hug. “What happened to you?” he questioned instantly.

“Nothing special, I just woke up in this hospital ward completely void of any injuries and then came here,” Soobin answered simply while dragging Junkyu out of bed. “The first fight is going to happen soon, so let’s go.”

“Okay, let’s get Donghyuk and Hyunjin then.” Junkyu stretched his arms and went to change his clothing and wake his other friends up. Once the four started to walk back to the arena, a silence filled them as Soobin kept giving uncomfortable glances towards Donghyuk who was staring at his feet as he walked. Junkyu eventually met Soobin’s gaze, which was questioning. Junkyu just rolled his eyes and looked forward, adjusting his sword.

“This sucks,” Hyunjin said pointedly, drawing Junkyu’s attention towards the bracket that he was staring at. “We are on the same side, so even if we both win our first two rounds, we’d have to face each other in the third round.”

“Well, Donghyuk is also on our side, but we’d only have to face him in the semi-finals. Which round is that?” Junkyu asked.

“The fourth. There’s only five total.” Donghyuk chimed in while swaying back and forth on his feet. “Anyways, you two should get ready, Hyunjin your battle is up first, then yours, Junkyu.”

Hyunjin took a hold of Junkyu’s shirt. “Come on, my battle is in ten minutes!” He then ran, dragging Junkyu behind him, as he entered the arena, except rather than going into the inner circle, they went inside the building, searching for… Well, they didn’t exactly know what they were looking for, but they were dead set on finding it. However, after running around for a while, they ended up running into Micha.

“You two look lost,” she said, amused. “You should go down stairs to get ready.” She pointed towards a spiral stairwell that led both upwards and down.

“Thanks!” Hyunjin yelled as he pulled Junkyu down the stairs. There were probably half a dozen contestants down there, all getting prepared for their battles. At that moment Junkyu realised that they had definitely been running late, especially as Baechul stormed over to them.

“You two should’ve been here awhile ago, especially you,” she nearly touched Hyunjin’s eye while pointing at him. “Hurry, you have to change into proper gear. You need to be presentable to the people of Animamea.”

She then pushed them behind a completely black byobu, one of those folding walls, to change. They, along with everyone else, had a completely white outfit on, but with silver pieces of armor and chains on them. Everyone also had a weapon holster for their weapons. _Obviously that’s what they’re for._

As soon as they walked out from the byobu, some other women and men from the capital pulled them over to fix their clothes and hair, making them look, in Baechul’s words, proper and presentable. Looking in a mirror, Junkyu could hardly recognize himself. He knew that his hair had grown out since he had left his hometown, but he had never thought of parting his bangs so that they would cover his whole forehead. He ran his hand across the white clothes and armor, it being his first time ever wearing something remotely close to this.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Hyunjin ran over to him and slightly shook his shoulders. “I’m so nervous, I have to go out now. Please wish me luck!”

“Of course I will! What kind of person would I be if I wished otherwise.” Junkyu smiled at him, and watched as Hyunjin ran off to, presumably, go onto the arena.

Junkyu expected to have to wait, bored, for the entirety of Hyunjin’s battle, but was surprised when a bright light lit up part of the room, projecting some sort of image. Walking up towards it, he audibly questioned it, which promoted a girl standing next to him to look at him strangely. “What, have you never seen a tantum?”

“No, I’m not from around here.” Junkyu bit his lip in shame.

“Well they basically can project anything they see and hear. They are super cool since they can send magical signals to each other, even from very far away. They’re probably broadcasting these battles to the whole capital!”

Junkyu nodded, still not completely understanding what a tantum was, but decided that he shouldn’t question further. He focused on the image of the arena and the sounds of the crowd making intense yells and cheers, increasing in volume as Hyunjin and his other opponent entered the arena.

Before he knew it, the battle had started. Hyunjin knocked his bow and fired some arrows towards his opponent, a girl who was probably a year or two older than him. She was moving at such a fast pace that it was completely unnatural. _Her ability._ Junkyu had to remind himself that most contestants were all able to use their magic, and that he was in the minority. He was surprised that none of his friends had used their abilities in front of him, or at least that he knows of.

He watched as arrows went flying, jolting with electricity. Junkyu felt increasingly anxious as the girl got closer and closer to Hyunjin, circling around him, waving her knife in a taunting manner. She got a few cuts on Hyunjin, but he eventually hit her on the shoulder with an arrow, sending a weak current through her body, and her speed fell a bit. The battle continued like that; the girl kept doing her hit and run strategy, but her speed decreased each time she got pierced by an arrow until she eventually passed out from a particularly strong electric shock.

Junkyu found himself cheering in the waiting room loudly, but quieted down after some people began staring at him. Luckily for him, he got to leave the scene as his battle was up next. One of the workers led him through the inside of the arena, up a flight of stairs, and in front of a large gate. “Just enter once the door opens,” is all she said before wandering back the way they had come.

Trying to expel his nerves, Junkyu took deep breaths and closed his eyes, ignoring the loud screams on the other side of the gate. He could hear a loud voice, no doubt enhanced in volume in a way Junkyu was unfamiliar with, to announce the next battle.

“In the green gate we have Cho Youngbin!” The screaming intensified. _Why are people so hyped about some kids they don’t even know?_ “And in the blue gate is Kim Junkyu!” The announcer had extended each syllable in his name, making it sound more epic that it probably was. There was a cloud band which startled Junkyu out of his little daze, and he watched as the gaze swung outwards, slowly revealing the whole audience. He took steps into the arena, trying to give off as much confidence as possible.

He heard the same sound again, and as he turned around he watched as the door behind him began swinging shut. Junkyu looked across the arena at his opponent. _What was his name, again? Youngbin?_ The announcer’s voice boomed across the arena again, significantly louder out in the open than when Junkyu was inside. “The battle will begin on the flare, everyone get yourselves ready.”

Junkyu drew his sword, holding it in front of himself in the most intimidating way he could. Safe to say, watching a nine-year-old wield a weapon of the same size as himself is both simultaneously terrifying and hilarious (in Junkyu’s own opinion). He watched as Youngbin did the same, revealing his weapon as a gun. All Junkyu hoped was for the gun to have extra magical properties. If it were to come down to magic, he knew he was completely lost.

Drawing in a deep breath, Junkyu honed in all his senses, and once he heard the loud pop of the flare, he charged forward. _Minimize his opportunity to shoot._ Youngbin did get one shot at Junkyu’s thigh before he could swing at him, but it could have been worse. And it definitely was for Youngbin who got the brunt of the force of Junkyu’s sword straight in his chest, knocking the air out of him. Youngbin stumbled to the ground, but shot another bullet, but this time Junkyu blocked the shot with his sword.

Youngbin gritted his teeth and scrambled to his feet, aiming his gun again, but this time instead of shooting directly at Junkyu, he moved his weapon to the left of him, and fired. _Did he just… Intentionally miss?_ The answer to that was yes because but some sort of magic (literally), the bullet curved back and hit Junkyu in the small of his back. Junkyu doubled over in pain.

He lifted his gaze upward, meeting Youngbin’s dark eyes, and watched as he fired multiple shots towards Junkyu. All he could do was wish that he could somehow miss, but watched in horror as the bullets curved towards him. Junkyu just closed his eyes. _I guess this is the end of my journey. It was fun while it lasted._ However, he did get hit. And Junkyu was surprised to find that the shells of the bullets were all lying on the ground as if they had hit a wall.

The confusion was visible on both of their faces, but Junkyu took the opportunity to charge once again, this time impaling Younbin on the opposite end of his sword. He fired some final shots in desperation, but didn’t seem to follow his commands as they bent out towards the stands, hitting the barrier that protected the audience. Junkyu backed away, and watched as the floor swallowed Youngbin.

“And the winner is Kim Junkyu!” The announcer once again elongated his syllables, and the crowd got impossibly loud. Junkyu put his sword back on it’s holster, and rubbed his face in disbelief. He bowed to each section of the stands, making sure to give the longest bow to Officer Seo and the Codification members. Junkyu made sure not to make eye contact with that boy again, not wanting to deal with his own awkwardness.

Junkyu made his way back to the lower floor and was greeted by Hyunjin, who practically body slammed him with a hug. “You were so awesome, what was that magic you did? Youngbin was totally stunned!”

“Huh?” Junkyu gave him an incredulous look. “I don’t have magic, what are you talking about.”

Hyunjin also gave Junkyu a look, but one he couldn’t decipher. Disbelief, maybe? It left as quickly as it came as he began pulling Junkyu once again. “Come on, we should go sit with Soobin. I want to see the battles with my own two eyes.” _And Donghyuk._

The walk back through the arena seemed much shorter than when they had originally walked through, but Junkyu figured that it was some weird trick his brain was playing on himself. They discovered that there was a whole section cleared out for all the contestants, those participating and those who got eliminated. He saw a tall Soobin waving at them, Junkyu smiled and rushed forward, landing in yet another embrace with him. He then looked at Donghyuk who was sitting silently, poking at his shoe. Junkyu patted his head, causing him to look up and give a small smile. Junkyu sat on Donghyuk’s right side, with his other two friends on their left. Junkyu could hear the announcer going off again, but he paid it no mind and focused on his friends.

“Hyunjin, your power is so cool! Electricity? Seriously! Mine’s so lame in comparison.” Soobin complained.

“Really, what’s your’s?” Hyunjin intently looked at Soobin.

“It’s a type of helio magic, but all I can do is concentrate light in a small area to either burn or blind someone, but it’s so weak.”

“Not as lame as mine,” Junkyu spoke up, “Because I have none.”

“No way!” Soobin nearly jumped up, “Then what did you do in the arena?”

“What do you mean!” Junkyu whined, “I didn’t even do anything.”

“Sure.” Hyunjin extended the “e” sound, fluctuating the tone in a sarcastic manner.

“I’m not lying! My opponent just messed his magic up.” He then turned towards Donghyuk. “What about you?”

“Me?” Donghyuk pointed at himself and Junkyu nodded. “Oh, I have an enhanced ability instead, so my legs are really strong and fast. So I can, like, propel myself forward and kick really strong. But doing super close range combat, like kicking and punching, is always a risk against someone who has a weapon, so I learned how to use a sword.”

“That’s so cool!” Junkyu then whacked Donghyuk’s thigh with his hand and started laughing as Donghyuk’s face went red. Hyunjin and Soobin were giving the two of them a judging stare, but Junkyu could also see their shoulders shaking with laughter

“W-well, I should go.” Donghyuk stuttered, standing up, “My battle is up soon.” He then ran off as quickly as he possibly could, but also not trying to draw anymore attention towards himself.

Junkyu looked forward. “How many battles have there been?”

“Well, there was yours and Hyunjin’s, then the one that happened before you got here. The second battle just finished since you got here.” Soobin replied.

“What? Already?” Junkyu made a shocked face, “Time sure flies.”

“Sure does.” Hyunjin said before he got cut off by the announcer. “Hey, what’s up with Donghyuk?”

“What do you mean?” Junkyu tilted his head.

“We mean, why are you talking to him and… stuff.” Soobin made a face, as if it would help in explaining what he meant.

“I mean, he’s not that bad.” Junkyu said, but backtracked once he saw the looks on his friends faces. “I mean sure, at first he was kind of rude, but I mean you were talking to him before I came, so he couldn’t have been that bad. Plus, I understand why he was like that. I mean he _has_ I’ll never win. Do I even want to win? Is there reason to? Do I want Donghyuck to win? Does Donghyuck want to win? Of course he does, what kind of question is that? What do I do…

A hand landed on Junkyu’s shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise. Donghyuck just laughed at him. “Don’t worry, just do your best.”

“Same to you,” Junkyu lightly slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t get all soft on me, and definitely don’t hold back.”

“I won’t, and I can’t.” Donghyuck gave Junkyu a small smile. “You’re my biggest competition here. It would mean more to win against you than winning the whole tournament.”

“Me?” Junkyu pointed at himself, confused. “Are we talking about the same me? I’m so unskilled! I haven’t even learned real fighting like you!”

“Yet there’s something… special about you. You’re different compared to anyone I’ve ever met.” Donghyuck’s eyes seemed to sadden a bit. “Whatever happens, we’ll be friends, right?”

“Of course!” Junkyu gave him a big toothy smile.

“Well my friends always call me Haechan,” he replied with a small smirk playing on his lips.

“Okay _Haechan,_ my friends call me Junkyu.”

They just laughed with each other before some of the workers came and led them to their positions. Junkyu’s ears were pounding as the gates opened, revealing the arena. Why does it seem so much bigger now? He walked forward and watched as Donghyuck’s door also opened. They kept eye contact the entire time they stood there. Time slowed down for Junkyu as the flare was shot. He couldn’t move, and just stared at Donghyuck for what felt like minutes, although realistically he knew it was only a few seconds. His friend then began charging towards him.

It took extra effort to just move his feet, but Junkyu also began running. Their swords crashed. The sheer weight difference caused Junkyu to push him back and get a hit at his chest. Donghyuck stumbled back for only a step, but then took two steps forward before Junkyu could move his sword and kicked him down, his sword flying away in the process..

Junkyu watched in shocked horror as Donghyuck jumped up and aimed his foot toward him, as he was defenselessly lying on the ground. He tried to move out of the way, but was too slow and saw Donghyuck’s foot make contact. However, not exactly. Junkyu didn’t feel any pain, but it was clear that Donghyuck’s foot at hit _something._ He was momentarily suspended in the air until, to Junkyu’s understanding, some unseeable power blasted him backwards. Donghyuck was able to turn himself in the air and take all the impact of his fall into his bent legs.

Despite his initial confusion, Junkyu immediately jumped to his feet and wasted no time in grabbing his sword and dashing forward. He swung downwards, but Donghyuck rolled sideways. He spun to face Donghyuk, who was running forward to kick Junkyu. He simply blocked the kick with his sword, putting his weight forward so as to not fall over.

The battle kept going back and forth, with one person getting the upper hand only to lose it right after. It wasn’t until Donghyuck had run out of stamina and was slowing down that Junkyu could finally see a victory in sight. There was an open opportunity where Donghyuk lying on the ground, breathing hard, and Junkyu went to swing downwards. Yet mid-swing Donghyuck’s words bounced around in his head. _I’ve been preparing for this for my whole life. This is my opportunity to finally become part of something bigger than me._

Of course Junkyu wanted the same thing, but would bringing down his friend make him feel the accomplishment? Maybe if he didn’t like his opponent he’d be able to defeat him in a heartbeat, no second thoughts. Yet since he’d come to Animamea, he had made true friends. Sure, back home there were the children who he would play with, but none of them ever supported nor understood him. Perhaps he was just making an excuse for his patheticness, he was always told he was somewhat of a softie, but he just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t just defeat his friend like this.

Junkyu angled his arms so his sword hit right next to Donghyuck’s head instead of at his person. His friend then kicked him in the stomach, sending Junkyu flying backward, leaving his sword stuck in the ground. As Donghyuck brought his sword down to pierce Junkyu, he prepared himself for the pain, but it never came. His world tumbled into darkness and his last thoughts being of Donghyuck and his sword.

☽ ☼ ☾

When Junkyu woke up, Hyunjin and Soobin were sitting beside him, wherever he was laying. _A bed, was it?_ Their conversation was what Junkyu would call meaningless chatter. They didn’t notice his consciousness until Junkyu groaned and sat up.

“You woke up!” Soobin cheered.

“Finally,” Hyunjin groaned.

“What exactly happened?” Junkyu asked, looking around the room. He was in an infirmary with what appeared to be other defeated contestants.

“After you lost to Haechan, you were put in this infirmary. Look, you’re totally healed.” Hyunjin gestured towards Junkyu’s healthy figure. He took a moment to examine himself, and lo and behold, all the sword wounds and kick bruises were gone.

“Haechan went onto the finals and won. Surprise, surprise.” Soobin said somewhat sarcastically. Junkyu smiled at the use of the name Haechan. “I bet he wants to talk to you. Let’s get out of here, we’re bored to death and have to pack our things.”

 _Oh right._ Junkyu had to go home now. It was a conflicting feeling. On one hand he was ecstatic that his friend won and achieved his dream, but on the other, Junkyu didn’t achieve his own dream and now has to go home. Somehow.

Hyunjin quite literally pulled Junkyu out of his thoughts as he grabbed him by the arm and yanked him out of his bed. Junkyu dragged his feet and had his head pointed towards the ground in contemplation. He was trying to calculate what to do next. _Do I go home or stay here? What would I do in either of those places? What do I want to do? Should I do anything?_

“Junkyu!” A body collided with Junkyu’s with arms wrapping around him. “I won! I won! Can you believe it! I’m going to be part of the Codification!” Donghyuck screamed directly in Junkyu’s ears.

“Good job! I’m proud.” Junkyu reciprocated Donghyuck’s hug, genuinely feeling happier in his presence.

The boys all caught Junkyu up on the final battle, which, according to Hyunjin, was lame in comparison to Donghyuck and Junkyu’s. Donghyuck ecstatically explained how Officer Seo had given him a new sword as a gift for entering the codification, even showing it off to Junkyu. He displayed the sharpness by cutting through a rock as if it were butter.

The four even got an image made of them from some lady with a tantum. She showed the amazed Junkyu how the tantum could project an image not only temporarily, but permanently. She gave a piece of parchment to each of the boys, and Junkyu thanked her greatly, and tried to offer her something (though he didn’t have much to give.

Their conversation was cut off when one of the Codification members, one dressed in all white—so presumably a sector leader—came up to their group. “Donghyuck, right?” he smiled at him. “Congratulations on winning the tournament. My name is Eunhyuck, the leader of the Aegean Ink. Pleasure to meet you.” He bowed to Donghyuck and shook his hand.

“N-no need to bow to me, I should be doing so to you!” Donghyuck then also bowed, but deeper and longer in respect. “It’s an honour!”

Eunhyuk fondly smiled at them. He then moved his eyes around until they landed on Junkyu. “Junkyu, right?” Junkyu nodded and bowed. “I have good news for you, too. An apprentice of the Codification was viewing the tournaments with us, and he was given permission to choose someone in addition to the winner to be brought along to the Codification.”

“A-and what does that have to do with me?” Junkyu’s heart beated in anticipation. _This is my chance._

“What do you think it means?” Eunhyuck raised his eyebrow. “You were selected.” He then turned around, looking for someone. “Come over here, don’t be shy!” He shouted.

Then, to Junkyu’s shock, the boy who had been staring at him throughout the competition. Up close he had a much better view of him. He was still dressed up in all white. In Fact he was wearing a long sleeved shirt that covered his arms.The same as before, he had black hair with slightly messy bangs and cheeks that lifted into a shy smile. Up close he could see his dark eyes that glistened in a childish interest. However that shy curiosity instantly disappeared when he opened his mouth.

“Hi! I’m Park Jihoon!” He practically yelled. “Nice to meet you, you interesting person.”

“T-thanks?” Junkyu wasn’t sure how to react to this Park Jihoon character, but he tried to act polite. Since that’s how Codification members are supposed to act… Right? “I’m Kim Junkyu.”

“Okay. Well, we’ll let you all get your stuff and get where you all need to be. Donghyuck and Junkyu, you can wait at the cabin to be picked up.” Eunhyuk smiled and waved, pushing Jihoon along with him.

“Oh my god.” Junkyu whispered under his breath. “Oh my god. Oh my god! OH MY GOD!” He started yelling and shook Donghyuck by the shoulders. “Is this real? Are you pranking me? This can’t be… What? What! This is… so…”

The boys pulled Junkyu into a group hug. “Got to say, never expected _you_ of all people to get in.” Hyunjin said as he pinched Junkyu’s ear.

Junkyu laughed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

☽ ☼ ☾

It was a bittersweet experience to wave goodbye to Soobin and Hyunjin. Even with the promise of meeting again in the future, Junkyu wasn’t sure of when that would even be. He watched them walk away from the cabin while Hyunjin was trying to convince Soobin he wasn’t crying, “It’s just allergies.” Junkyu didn’t know if his eyes were watering in joy or sadness. Maybe both. 

Donghyuck must’ve noticed because Junkyu was pulled in for a hug for the nth time that day. They sat in front of the cabin with their stuff in bags (a very small bag in Junkyu’s case), just waiting to be picked up and brought to the Codification. Donghyuck had a one sided conversation about his excitement while Junkyu played with a stick, scribbling into the ground.

Eventually a man steering a horse-drawn carriage arrived. The contraption was black with white details on it and some sort of cover that could be pulled over the passenger area. The man gave them a once over as if trying to quickly remember their faces, then cleared his throat.

“Junkyu and Donghyuck?” he asked. The boys nodded ferociously, anticipation continuing to build. The man waved them over, and practically jumped into the carriage, throwing their things on the floor of it.

Junkyu thought that talking in this situation might be considered rude, how on earth do you act in front of someone as important as the Codification? Instead, he put all his pent up energy into his legs. They bounced and shook anxiously, and when Junkyu glanced over to Donghyuck, he found that he was doing the same thing. Junkyu took a hold of his hand and squeezed, not sure if he was trying to comfort himself or Donghyuck.

As they approached the castle, Junkyu was able to make out the details of it. First of all, there was a giant wall made of grey stone and brick that guarded the entire castle. Dozens of soldiers were posted on top of the wall, and at the two front corners of it were roofless towers with even more soldiers who seemed to be constantly surveying the area. The only visible entrance was the gate in the center of the wall, which was a ginormous door split down the middle and pulled back. It was big enough to fit a house through. Past it was a large drawbridge that went over a violent underground river covered behind the wall. Junkyu couldn’t see where the river went to nor started from, but he could only assume that it was far away.

The whole castle, including the large wall surrounding it, was built into a mountain, so Junkyu couldn’t judge exactly how big the entire structure was. However, the part not built into the mountain was already bigger than all the other buildings in the city. The castle was a bunch of towers of different sizes all connected together. On the right side of the building was a large outdoor area that was reminiscent of the gardens he had seen in his own town, Mowwa, but upscaled by a lot. On the right side of the castle was another outdoor area, which the carriage they were on was turning to go towards. There were many small wooden structures such as stables and sheds there.

When the carriage stopped, Junkyu and Donghyuck immediately gathered their things and hopped out. The man who steered the carriage also excited and led the boys back towards the front of the castle to the main entrance. The large white door opened at the wave of his hand, and Junkyu was finally able to get a glimpse of the inside. _And I thought the outside was impressive…_

The entrance was huge with a ceiling that was taller than the inside of a two story house. The floor was dark and reflective, made from some sort of stone that Junkyu didn’t know the name of. The walls were completely granite, a brilliant white to contrast the black floor. It had natural streaks of grey and black all throughout, making the inside more sophisticated looking. More impressive than all that was the gold details throughout. The corners on every wall had gold trim running up and down it. Designs had been carefully crafted onto the walls. Even the large pillars that were placed for support to the structure were made with the same quarts and gold patterns.

The thing that especially caught Junkyu’s attention was a large chandelier in the middle of the foyer. It was made of a silver metal with white crystals dangling down. Junkyu couldn’t see a source of light, but rather the whole chandelier seemed to emanate a bright glow. Glancing around the whole room, Junkyu noticed many objects on display, some seeming ancient and other relatively new. Said objects ranged from high class weapons to broken bits of pottery.

At some point the man began talking, probably explaining everything about the castle to the curious children, but Junkyu found it more satisfying to use his eye over his ears in this situation. He completely blocked him out and mindlessly followed him around while admiring the various artwork hung up around the castle. Many of them appeared to be paintings of previous rulers of Kenmai, all people Junkyu could not name with his limited knowledge.

When they entered the throne room, Junkyu took note of the design in the throne itself. It was far more complex than all the other patterns in the castle. The chair was gold with silver details. There were birds, trees, weapons, and many more important symbols enlaid. On the top most part were symbols that were difficult to make out, but Junkyu thought they were reminiscent of arrows.

In the center of the room a large golden crown was on display with all sorts of precious stone in it, all of varying colors. It gave Junkyu the chills, a strange sense of déja vu. He decided to shrug it off as his nerves and continued following the man, linking arms with Donghyuck in search of comfort.

Junkyu lost count of the rooms they had explored. As he had suspected, the castle was _much_ bigger than it appeared, and he was sure they hadn’t even been in half the rooms. There was a large kitchen, several dining areas, multiple garendens (indoor and outdoor), a training area, watch points, and so much more. Junkyu couldn’t exactly comprehend everything he was experiencing, but he was amazed nonetheless.

After traveling up several flights of stairs, they arrived at the highest point of the castle. It was a large hallway built into the side of the mountain. There were many rooms on either side of the hallway. The ones of the left were bedrooms that overlooked the whole city, and the right side had several washrooms, a library, and even a small training room.

The man showed Donghyuck and Junkyu to the middle of the hallway, and introduced them to their rooms, Donghyuck being on the right and Junkyu’s on the left. There was a wood panel attached to the door that had fancy writing on it. Junkyu couldn’t necessarily read it, but he thought he could make out the shapes of several letters in his name. _If only I could understand…_

The man then declared that the boys were allowed to look around their rooms and make themselves at home, which Junkyu immediately did. As soon as the man left, the boys ran into their respective room. Junkyu threw his sword and small bag of things on the ground and immediately ran to the large bed. He crashed into it and began jumping until he ran out of breath and flopped down on his back. He looked at the whilte ceiling and smiled. A wide, toothy smile. He rolled around, wrapping himself in the comforter from the bed, then sat up wards and looked around the room. There was a large closet in the opposite corner from the bed, a walk in that, under closer inspection, had dozens of outfits. Some were very formal, others more casual, and there was also gear for battle. Even accessories like shoes, jewelry, and hats were hung up.

A long desk was also on that side of the room. It was a dark stained wood with a large candle, unlit, resting on it. There were all sorts of parchments and pens on it, as well as a few books stacked on one side. The chair for the desk was of the same wood, and had a white pillow resting on it. There was also a larger, more cushioned chair with a similar shade of white. It was on top of a red, circular rug. Junkyu couldn’t help but kick off his shoes and just stand on the rug, barefoot.

Even though the room was sparsely decorated and had yet to see Junkyu’s _artistic_ touch, it already felt very homely to him. It was definitely an improvement from the crammed cabin filled with a bunch of young boys, and definitely an improvement from his hometown.

A knock at his door took Junkyu’s attention away from his thoughts. The door opened and a sheepish looking Jihoon stood there, rocking on his feet. He gave Junkyu a small smile before asking to be let in. Junkyu nodded and moved to sit at the foot of his bed. He patted the space next to him, beckoning him to sit as well.

“Wow, your room looks so lame,” Jihoon stated. “I’ve never really seen the undecorated rooms, I’ll have to help you fix this up pronto. I can already imagine how much nicer this could look, we can totally personalize it to you.” Jihoon gave Junkyu a big smile, which only perplexed Junkyu. _Why is he talking so… casually? We just met._

“I mean… Wasn’t your room like this when you came here?” Junkyu tried to continue the conversation. He decided he didn’t want his relationships to start out rocky anymore, it just added unnecessary drama.

“Well, I’ve always lived here, so I can’t actually remember how my room looked when I first moved in. It’s not like I haven’t been in these rooms before, but the times I have people have lived here, so there was always something to distinguish them.” Jihoon looked Junkyu in the eye and earnestly asked, “How do you like it here?”

“It’s… Big.”

Jihoon laughs in a way that sounds more like gasping for air than actually laughing. “Yeah, it can be overwhelming I suppose. Don’t worry, you’ll know your way around in no time!”

“Um, so… Why did you, like, choose me? Why were you even allowed to choose someone?”

“Well, for the second question, I am an apprentice here, obviously. You’re now one, too. But obviously if they just let every apprentice choose someone to join the Codification, there would be too many people, so they only allow it on certain occasions. You can say this was sort of part of my training?” Jihoon shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. “Specifically they are letting me test my ability of sensing in the real world. It’s kind of hard to practice in the castle where I already know everyone’s abilities so…”

“Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. What’s sensing?”

“It’s the manifestation of part of my magic. It basically lets me read other people’s sources, which is just another term for your life magic, or life source. All it means is that I can tell what people’s magic abilities are, but it isn’t necessarily foolproof. For example, if I’m not familiar with a type of magic, then I cannot identify it.”

“That’s your ability? Kind of lame…” Junkyu trailed off. “I mean it’s not _that_ lame. I mean I don’t even have one, so…”

Jihoon just laughed again. “It’s okay, everyone kind of thinks it’s lame. But it’s also the reason I was even taken into the Codification. It’s not my only ability, and back when I was born it was really rare for people to have multiple abilities, so they took me in because of it. Little did they know that my secondary ability was sensing and that multiple abilities are actually more common in our generation.”

“Ah…”

“Since my ability, as I’ve said, is sensing, do you think I would’ve chosen you if you were magicless?”

Junkyu didn’t say anything for a moment, processing Jihoon’s words. “Wait… So I _do_ have an ability?”

“Yes!” Jihoon yelled and smiled.

“So… What is it?”

“Actually, you’ve used your ability before. Several times during the tournament. You just unknowingly did it. Your class of magic is space magic, and you specifically have space bending abilities. You can generate an invisible wall or shield which is called a forcefield. You can also push or pull on things without actually having to touch them. It’s a really powerful ability, and the reason it took so long to manifest in you is because of how intricate the magic is. It can’t properly bind to someone young and inexperienced. My guess is that it started awakening once you started training for the tournament, and it finally came into use during your battles.”

“Wait… So when my opponents missed and tripped… That was me?”

“Yes!” Jihoon laughed again.

“That’s so… cool! I’m cool!” Junkyu jumped up. “How do I learn how to use it?”

“Have you seen this castle? Here you will get to study a lot about magic and the history of Locata, and you also get to practically use and learn about your own personal abilities in the training center.”

“You said you had a second ability. What is it?”

“Sorcery. I’m still not very good at it, but it lets me cast different types of magic such as spells and charms. It can be used defensively or offensively. But, because of my secondary ability and the fact that I’ve been studying here for so long, I’ve been learning more support types of magic. Things like healing and boosts. My goal is to be a warrior with the subclass of support and be a strategist and healer of a group.” Jihoon sighs in thought. “I’ve always wanted to join a guild, but I’m sort of tied down to the Codification, so that probably will not happen.”

“You’re going to be a warrior? Awesome! That’s what I’ve always wanted to be!”

“You have the means to be one now that you’re here.”

“So… What’s my subclass? What are the subclasses exactly?”

“Well, the three main categories are Support, Attack, and Tank. Obviously the lines between the categories aren't super defined, so some people can dabble in all three, or be completely on one side. Looking at your ability and weapon choice, I’d say you’d probably be a powerhouse tank. Plus you’re tall and relatively strong.” Jihoon gestures at Junkyu’s whole body.

“Me? A powerhouse? This is so cool! It’s everything I ever dreamed about and more!” Junkyu clasped his hands together. “When do I start?”

“Well first of all you’ll be assessed and you’ll be given a curriculum plan. Then you’ll show off your fighting and magic ability and you will get a training regime. After a while, especially after you get the basics down, you’ll have a lot more opportunities to take studying and training into your own hands.”

After further discussion with Jihoon, Junkyu learned a lot. Not just about the Codification and Animamea, but about Jihoon the person. They had quite a lot in common. The two of them were the same age…And, well, that was about it. As it turned out, the two of them were total opposites, but that also let them get along well. They talked for what was probably hours, only getting up to get dinner where they met with Donghyuck, but it didn't feel nearly that long. When the sun started to set, the boys moved to sit in front of the window in Junkyu’s room.

The hue from the sunset illuminated the two in a comforting pink shade, and Junkyu found it quite relaxing. He started to get heavy eyed as their conversation quieted until they were completely silent, looking out at the darkened city. In Junkyu’s opinion, the city looked best at night. It was serine, the only light coming from the lights of candles on people’s houses or along the walkways.

Jihoon had to practically drag Junkyu into bed before bidding him goodnight before disappearing into the darkness of the hallway. Junkyu didn’t have enough energy left to even reflect on the multitude of events of the day, though he isn’t sure which part exhausted him the most. The mental torment? The battles? An unfamiliar building? Jihoon? Maybe all of them.

☽ ☼ ☾

Being an apprentice wasn’t exactly what Junkyu thought it would be like, but he was grateful either way. Jihoon was dead serious about having to take an assessment and displaying his fighting skills. He failed the written test since, well, Junkyu couldn’t read or write. No surprise. His inability to use his magic was also criticized. The only thing he got a compliment on was how he was able to balance his sword.

His first month at the Codification was when he finally learned how to read and write, though his skills at it were very crude. Especially whenever he asked Jihoon for help who had flawless handwriting and a brain capacity that was far too large for a nine-year-old. It could be worse, at least Jihoon was nice. For combat training, Junkyu often paired with Donghyuck to learn the basics. Junkyu was surprised to realize how much both of them had been doing wrong when fighting. Even Donghyuck, the rich and elitely trained boy, had mistakes in simple technique.

Junkyu began improving really quickly. As soon as he was able to connect sounds to letters, he began reading lots of books about magic and asking questions to the people around him. All living things have magic in them, it’s their life source, hence the name “source” used to describe it. Different species have unlocked different levels of their magic, and it varies for each individual. Humming birds are creatures with magic, yet they do not typically use it. On the other hand, phoenixes practically depend on their magic on a daily basis. Humans are somewhere in between. Magic is used to help overcome many obstacles and are a form used to control and dominate, but there are many processes that do not require it. In Mowwa, magic was hardly used, but in Animamea, every aspect of life has magic involved.

Every source has its own special color. Junkyu’s was royal blue, a deep and bold color that Junkyu began finding himself gravitating towards. He even began decorating his room using that shade of blue. Every time that he used his ability, the blue would emanate. Now aware of it, Junkyu could see the blue wherever he used his space magic. If he put up a barrier, he could see a flurry of blue in the form of a wall, if he pulled something he could see it form around things and move. The more strong the force is, the more visible the color becomes. It was the reason why during the tournament no one could see his magic, it was being used at such a small and weak degree that it wasn’t visible unless under the view of a trained eye.

Eventually he started training his magic with other kids his age. He eventually fell into a schedule. Eat a light breakfast on his way to his class given by a Codification member named Kyuhyun. He’d stay there for the whole morning working on his reading and writing while also studying magic and history. Before lunch he would meet Jihoon in the library on weekdays or in his room on weekends. They would study what Junkyu was confused on, or, like they did most times, just talk and mess around.

During lunch they would go to the dining hall and meet with Donghyuck, Yeji, Sanha, Jisu (who went by Lia), Heejin, and Bomin. They would all talk for the hour until Yeji, Donghyuck, and Junkyu went off to take fighting and battle classes with Siwon. After that Junkyu would meet with Sanha and Heejin to practice their abilities with their teacher Donghae.

At the end of the day they would all meet again for lunch and either hang out together until sundown or spit off into smaller groups. Junkyu would often go with Jihoon and do various activities around the castle from gardening, to cooking, to reading, and even just more magic training.

Everything stayed like that for months until it got to spring time. Around the middle of March Junkyu went to meet Jihoon in the library, only to not find him. _Strange._ Junkyu double took. It was in fact a friday. _Maybe he just forgot?_ How could he have forgotten, though?

Regardless, Junkyu went to check Jihoon’s room, which was locked. Junkyu was able to carefully bust the door open and found nothing. Jihoon wasn’t there, all his things were in perfect order. His room was still decked out in his source color—purple. The bed was made, no papers lie on his desk. There wasn’t even a book on his nightstand. Huh.

Junkyu thought he might have just been running late, so he decided to spend his time in the library reading. But as the hour passed, no Jihoon appeared. Junkyu headed to the dining hall and a notable personality was missing; Jihoon. The weirdest part was that no one had seen him at all that day. The others took classes with him as well.

By the end of the day Junkyu may have started getting concerned. Jihoon didn’t show up to dinner either, and Junkyu couldn’t find him afterwards. His teachers had completely dismissed his concerns as well. The whole group of friends decided that if he didn’t show up by the next morning, they’d spend the day looking for him.

And they did. But they didn’t find him. The next day they also didn’t. Or at least Junkyu didn’t. But at midday that sunday, Donghyuck came running down a hallway. Junkyu wasn’t in the same one, but at the point where the two halls met, he saw a figure zip by with speed that only Donghyuck and his powerful legs could achieve. After him ran two Silver Cross members. Junkyu could tell because of their extravagant armor. _Why are they chasing him?_

Junkyu peered down the hall and saw that Donghyuck was pinned on the ground. “Hey—” Junkyu started to yell, but was cut off by a hand clamped over his mouth. Junkyu was about to retaliate until he turned and saw that it was Jihoon behind him. “Jihoon, where…”

“Shh, not here.” Jihoon pulled them into a room. Well, it was more like a closet. He shut and locked the door, releasing a long sigh.

“What was that? We have to get Haechan!” Junkyu tried to push Jihoon out of the way until he noticed how tired he was.

“No…” Jihoon shook his head. “The tantums are watching everything you do out there. If you leave they’ll do the same to you.”

“I’m confused. What’s going on.”

“Look, Haechan saw something that the Codification doesn’t want their apprentices to see. That’s all I can say without… Compromising us.”

“So is he… Being kicked out?”

“Probably.” Jihoon paused, taking a deep breath and cradling his right arm. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” Junkyu sighed and sat down next to Jihoon. “Are you okay? You look injured. What happened?”

“I’ll be fine… Just a bit shaken up.” Jihoon looked over at Junkyu. “I’m really sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this. The Codification isn’t exactly… what it seems to be.”

“I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again, I _want_ to be here.” Junkyu placed his hand on Jihoon’s shoulder and looked him in the eyes. “Whatever is going on is just as much my fault as yours.”

“But it’s not your fault—”

“Then it’s not yours either.”

The two sat silently for a few minutes until Jihoon pulled out his wand, the magic tool that helps him cast his sorcery. “Junkyu, I want you to remember all this stuff. The Codification is always trying to hide their tracks, and I don’t want you to be deceived.”

“What do you mean exactly?”

“They’re going to try and make you forget about this. About Donghyuk. I know you don’t want that. I don’t either. So let me help you.” Jihoon looked down and the ground in between them. “Please.”

“Okay.” Junkyu knows that to an outsider his action may seem foolish. Blindly trusting Jihoon. But that’s how they work. Jihoon is Junkyu’s closest friend, and if he doubts him, then what kind of a person would that make him?

Jihoon whispered something under his breath and a trail of purple lead from the end of his wand and surrounded Junkyu. He felt no different from before, but as he watched the color fade and Jihoon’s face soften, he knew that there was something reassuring in what had just happened.

☽ ☼ ☾

Jihoon was right. The next day everyone acted as if Jihoon was never gone, as if Donghyuk never existed. Jisu took his spot in training with Junkyu and Yeji. Junkyu was sad that he never got to say goodbye, but he had other people now. If he had sent him off, Junkyu probably would've cried.

Throughout his time at the Codification, Junkyu began changing. In multiple ways. He was a growing boy, and he was one of the tallest apprentices, and most definitely the physically strongest. He went through several two-handed swords, trying to find the perfect one for himself. Once they had all turned twelve, all of the apprentices got to choose new weapons provided by the Codification.

Jihoon looked the most excited, expressing how tired he was of using a wand. He had quickly chosen this large wooden staff that was taller than him. It looked like branches of a tree winding together, thinning out at the top. They curved to form a circle at the top, which confused Junkyu. It was later explained that weapons can have gemstones placed in them, and to no one's surprise, Jihoon had chosen an amethyst. The purple was reminiscent of his source.

Junkyu, on the other hand, spent the longest time out of their friends selecting his weapon. He would walk up to one, his friends would complement it, and then he’d say “not this one,” and continue to the next. He eventually ended up in front of a very intimidating weapon. _A scythe._ It was much taller than Junkyu, and it was almost entirely black aside from the dark gray accents that depicted a bovem (a bull-like creature) at the top of the handle with its horns wrapping around the beginning of the blade. The blade itself was also very long and slightly curved. He finally picked it up. It was heavy, of course, but bearable to Junkyu. Like any large weapon, he would have to get accustomed to the weight, but this one seemed to be the one for him. He decided to get a sapphire but in the center of the bovem’s forehead.

However, along with the good things came bad things, too. There were times when Junkyu would pick up a certain book from the library about the history of the Codification, only to get it confiscated before he got to any important details. Jihoon would still disappear in the middle of March, and everyone would act like everything was completely normal. Any time he wanted to leave the castle, he was under constant supervision. “Apprentices need constant guidance,” Siwon had told him. He also started noticing the presence of tantums in nearly every room, the small black object would sit in the corner of the ceilings. Even in his own bedrooms. He also continuously questioned what exactly Donghyuck had seen that, in Jihoon’s words, the Codification didn’t want him to see.

Junkyu was in constant conflict over whether the Codification was as good as he originally thought, or if there was something sinister going on behind the scenes. However, the final straw was pulled when Junkyu was 13 years old. Again, it was March. Jihoon was gone again. And like previous years, Junkyu was the only one who took notice. He was walking down the hallway, the one where he had last seen Donghyuck all those years ago, until a figure came crashing into him.

It was Jihoon, distressed and crying. He pulled Junkyu into that same closet he had four years ago. Junkyu didn’t know how to react, and just tried to comfort his friend after realising that the tantums were absent in that room.

Jihoon had babbled on about how the same thing happened every year on his birthday, and showed Junkyu his arm. It was covered in rings of the same purple as his source. They continued on to the right leg. He continuously apologized for bringing Junkyu here, but contradicted himself by saying he didn’t regret it either.

Junkyu got a similar feeling that he had the last time they were in this closet. It was weird to just suddenly trust what Jihoon was saying, it went against everything he had learned previously. Yet Jihoon was his friend of multiple years now. He believed him with all of his being. Seeing his friend hurt also hurt Junkyu. He silently vowed in his head that he would help Jihoon in every way he could.

Unfortunately there wasn’t much Junkyu could do at that very moment. He initially complained, saying they should just run away, but Jihoon said they should quietly leave so they don’t draw attention or have the Codification, quote, “on their asses.” Luckily, as soon as he also turned 14, they were allowed to go on missions, and Junkyu was ready to immediately pounce on the opportunity to go on one. In fact, just a week after Junkyu’s birthday, the two of them applied on a mission to go to a city on the South side of Kenmai, a place on the water called Redwers. Jihoon chose it since it would be a mission that would take months to complete, so there wouldn’t be a search if they happened to go missing.

They were going to be provided with a caravan, but Jihoon bargained to just be able to take two horses with bags attached to their saddles.

In all honesty, throughout the whole process of getting ready to leave, Junkyu began getting nervous. _What if we get caught? What if we get hunted down? What if…_

“Stop asking yourself what if questions, Junkyu. Just deal with whatever happens.” Jihoon said from behind him. Junkyu jumped around defensively.

“Wizard!” he accused. “How did you know what I was thinking?”

“Because I know _you,_ Junkyu.” Jihoon gave him a comforting smile. “Your head is always in the clouds and you worry too much. Now get your ass moving, we gotta go!” Jihoon slapped him playfully, and walked out of Junkyu’s room down the hall to presumably pack some last minute things.

Junkyu took a look around his room. _When had this place started feeling like home? And, more importantly, when did it stop feeling like it?_ He knew the answers to those questions, but he shook his head and kneeled by his bed, pulling out the thing he had been procrastinating packing. The image on the piece of parchment gave Junkyu a strong sense of nostalgia. He looked at his young self smiling while Donghyuck had him pulled into a tight side hug. Hyunjin had his iconic judging stare on his face, and Soobin was laughing with his eyes closed and dimples showing. Junkyu pressed his lips together and shoved the image into his bag.

He picked up his scythe, which had previously been leaning against the wall, and swung it behind his back. As it fell into place on his back holster, he lifted his bag with his left and exited the room. Jihoon had been waiting for him with a bag on his back and staff in his hand. He waved Junkyu along, and the two walked silently down the several flights of stairs. It was rare for the two of them to not be talking their mouths off, but they each had thoughts that were loud enough to make up for it.

As they attached their bags to the saddles of their horses, Eunhyuck stood by, berating them with questions. “Where are you going?” Redwers. “What are you doing there?” Collecting intel on the Blackhole stationary there. “How long can you be gone for?” Five months, be back by March.

He wished the boys off as they led their horses down the drawn bridge and out the gates of the castle. Junkyu stayed silent the whole time, following Jihoon through the city and to the exit through the forest. As soon as the city was completely out of view, Junkyu released his breath in a loud scream that had Jihoon laughing.

“You sound like an idiot,” he cackled.

“Well I’m a free idiot!” Junkyu stretched his arms for emphasis. “So, where are we headed?”

“I don’t think we need a destination,” Jihoon said, looking around the forest. “We can just explore wherever we want.”

“Good point! I want to eat food! Ever since I read about foreign cuisines, I’ve wanted to go to some restaurant to try some.”

“Actually, in Redwers, the place we were _supposed_ to go to, they have lots of foriegn dishes since it’s on the port. Many travelers go there to trade. Jojanish culture is quite embedded there because of the short distance between Kenmai and the islands. Jojanish is sort of like their unofficial second language.”

“Really? I didn’t know that. Can you speak it?” Junkyu looked at Jihoon with wide eyes.

“A bit. I know enough to get around. At some point in my childhood I wanted to study abroad, but of course the Codification would never allow me to do it. In only very special cases do they allow that.”

“You have to teach me! Great, now I want to go to Redwers!”

“Which of course we can’t go to until we know the Codification is off our tail,” Jihoon reminded him. “Don’t worry, I’m sure by next year we can go there. In the meantime I can help you with your studying. Don’t think that just because you left the castle that you don’t have to learn anything new.”

Junkyu rolled his eyes. “Okay, _teacher._ I guess I’ll be a good student.”

☽ ☼ ☾

By the time of the first snowfall, the two boys were on the western side of the country, huddled in a small town called Iwral. Using currency provided to them by the Codification, they were able to afford living in an inn for the time being. They ended up taking jobs for the people around the town. Mainly they would fight off creatures that threatened the villagers’ livestock, which were vulnerable in the cold weather.

Once it started to warm up and the snow began to melt, Jihoon said that they should head northward, which Junkyu refuted saying “Animamea is closer the more north we go.” Jihoon was eventually able to convince Junkyu to go to a small town called Soamill by saying it was one of the last places that the Codification would ever look for them (which was probably true).

With the deadline of their arrival to Animamea drawing near, Junkyu was getting increasingly more worried, and he could tell Jihoon was, too. There was doubt in their minds. _Can we really outsmart a national operation?_

There were still a lot of questions on Junkyu’s mind. Questions that he knew he would wait to ask until the pain caused by the Codification wasn’t fresh. He wanted to understand what actually was going on behind the scenes. What was with his arm? What did Donghyuck see? Why didn’t they want anyone to know? He wanted to help his friend. But, at the moment, the most Junkyu could do was just be there for him. Just having each other’s presence was enough to calm them and douse their worries.

At the tail end of their trip, the boys were lost in conversation, following a path surrounded by forest. They had long since shedded their winter clothes, now clad in thin shirts and shorter pants.

Junkyu had glanced up towards the blue sky, expecting to just see unidentifiable figures in the form of clouds. However, glistening in the sunlight, was a large bird. Its feathers on the wings were a dark purply-red color. Maroon, was it called? It seemed to be on fire, the edges of the wings a deep orange, yet Junkyu could not see any smoke trailing the animal. Its body and head were the same maroon color with golden crested talons leading up to the edge of its wings. Its beak was tinted a cool blue color with eyes glowing orange like flames. All along its face and trailing down its chest were specks of blue feathers, which increased in volume, creating an almost tail-like blue trail of feathers. The shadow that the bird had cast down went right in between the boys on the path, and went across the forest.

As if drawn, Junkyu turned in the same direction as it and sped up the pace of his horse so that they were running. He didn’t even bother to see if Jihoon was following, too enamoured by the bird in the sky. The forest gradually got more dense, but, determined, Junkyu kept the bird in his sight. As the sun set, the bird glowed brighter, its colors reminiscent of the falling sun.

The sky grew darker, into a deep purple, and for just a moment, a dense tree blocked his view. Once the sky reemerged into his vision, the bird was gone. Like phantoms across the sky, it was as if it had never existed in the first place. He gradually lowered his head and was surprised to be greeted by a body of water in front of him. A small lake with a few small boats out on it. Looking around, he saw a town across the water.

“That’s Soamill.” Jihoon said as he slowed to a stop next to Junkyu. They both jumped off their horses and led themselves across the lake until they were stopped on the docks.

“That’s lucky, isn’t it.” Junkyu sighed, off in thought.

“Well, the Huma is known as the bird of fortune, no wonder it led us here.”

“The Huma?”

“It’s a legendary bird, and it’s said that there is only one in all of existence. Like a phoenix, it rebirths through fire, yet it flies high enough to not alight the ground below. The mere shadow of it is said to bring luck, let alone seeing the bird itself. It’s something so rare that only a small amount of people have actually seen the real bird.” Jihoon squinted his eyes, looking up at the moon.

“Bird of fortune? Brings luck? Sounds like we are in for a treat!” Junkyu clapped his hands together.

“A treat? What are you even talking about?” Jihoon just rolled his eyes as Junkyu began moving around, walking down the dock.

“There’s something grand in store from us!” Junkyu began pickup speed, running along the dock.

“Slow down, you idiot! You’re going to fall over!” Jihoon warned, but picked up his own speed.

Junkyu just turned around, looked at Jihoon with a large smile. “Don’t you see? It’s a sign!” He yelled, and turned around, not paying attention to what was around him. He felt something hit him in the shoulder, and he glanced down to see a small boy lying on the ground with a hand on his head.

“Oh my god, Kim Junkyu!” Jihoon yelled at him, jogging up and slapping Junkyu’s neck half-heartedly. “Look at what you’ve done!”

“Were you even listening to me?” Junkyu gave Junkyu one of his _looks,_ as Jihoon calls them. One full of disbelief, annoyance, and a tad of disgust. Jihoon flashed the same face back at him.

Both boys then turned their attention down to the boy laying on the ground. The boy was pale, his skin almost as white as his bleached hair. His features were soft and rounded, and he looked at peace. To be fair, he was knocked out, so maybe he wasn’t all that peaceful. Junkyu felt slightly sorry towards the skinny boy, but also, he totally shouldn’t have been in Junkyu’s running path.

“Oh god, Junkyu.” Jihoon pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes closed. “Bird of fortune my ass.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll just pay for an inn and take his stuff with us. I’ll even carry him, don’t worry!” Junkyu instantly swept the boy off the ground, which had Jihoon waving his hands and shouting at him.

“Be careful! You have a dangerous weapon on your back, you idiot!”

“Look, I got this, okay?” Junkyu placed the boy over his right shoulder where the blade of his scythe wasn’t positioned.

☽ ☼ ☾

After finding a stable to put not only Junkyu and Jihoon’s horses, but also the unknown boy’s horse in, Junkyu went and paid for an inn while Jihoon went out to buy food to feed all three mouths.

They ended up placing the unconscious guy in the singular bed in the inn, which had Junkyu awkwardly standing over, to the point where Jihoon pointed out how creepy he looked.

“I just…” Junkyu trailed off, unsure of himself.

“What?” Jihoon asked.

“I mean, should we change his clothes?” Junkyu proposed, but then quickly backtracked. “Nevermind, that’s weird and creepy.”

“We could.” Jihoon said. “I mean, he’d probably be more comfortable, right? Take off his shirt and we can put him in a pair of my clothes.”

Junkyu then began to pull the boy’s shirt off. He could feel heat in his face. _Why is this so embarrassing?_ He immediately stopped halfway, pulling the shirt down. Panic creeped into his voice as he said, “Nevermind!”

Jihoon gave him a confused and slightly concerned look. “What is it?” He approached Junkyu by the bed, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Nothing.” Junkyu faked a smile. “No need to worry.”

“You do realise that by saying that, you are increasing my worry, right?”

Junkyu sighed, and pulled the boy’s shirt back up, revealing the print on his ribcage. The black color was overwhelmingly dark, such a contrast to his skin color. Even though Junkyu was no longer a fan of the Codification definitely did not mean he was okay with the Blackhole, either. He always associated them as murders and evil.

“Oh shit.” Jihoon mumbled beside him, running his hand through his hair.

“I think we should leave him out in the woods for the wolves.”

“What?” Jihoon whacked Junkyu’s shoulder. “No way! I think we’re safe with him. I mean, doesn’t it kind of look like he was running away? He had a horse and a bunch of shit with him. I’m pretty sure the Blackhole wouldn’t let someone of his age out alone, they still would be planting their ideals in his mind, right? I mean, look at us, aren’t we doing the same thing? Even if not, there’s two of us and one of him. We’re bigger and stronger, I’m sure we could take him.”

“But…” Junkyu thought about it. Were they really that similar to this scrawny boy?

“No buts, Junkyu. We can’t judge someone based off of their affiliations. That’s hypocritical. We don’t want to associate with the Codification, and I don’t think this boy wants to associate with the Blackhole.”

“Okay.” Junkyu blinked a few times. “Sorry, I just got worried. I mean, we don’t want the Blackhole on our bad side, either.”

“That’s totally justified, Junkyu. I mean, if I were you I’d probably do the same, it’s just that… Look, I can’t bear to do that.”

Junkyu just nodded and looked out the window, the moon gleaming on the floor. Jihoon’s outline shimmered in the light. “It’s late, let’s go to bed.”

After both boys changed clothes, they found themselves in the living room, arguing over the couch of all things.

“I’m the brains of this operation! I deserve this couch!”

“Bronze over brain, Jihoon! I should get it, I’ve put in all the work!”

“No one says that, you fool! I navigated the way here!”

“I’m the one who actually got us here!”

“I’m older!”

“By six months! We’re the same age! Born in the same year!”

Junkyu ended up laying on the couch, squishing himself to fit Jihoon half on the cushions and half on himself. Was it a bit uncomfortable? Of course, Junkyu complained for ten minutes straight. Was it warm? He’d never admit it. Did he sleep soundly? Of course, it’s Junkyu, after all.

☽ ☼ ☾

Junkyu woke up to Jihoon, who was still on top of him, shaking him. “Wake up,” he mumbled, groggily. “We have a guest to take care of.”

“No…” Junkyu whined, covering his eyes.

“Come on!” Jihoon pulled Junkyu into a sitting position. “Wake. Up.”

Junkyu pouted. “It’s too early! I want to sleep!”

“You’re such a baby.” Jihoon rolled his eyes and pushed Junkyu off the couch, laughing.

“Hey!” Junkyu shouted, eyes wide open. He was definitely awake now. “Come here you witch!” Junkyu pulled Jihoon off the couch, letting out an evil cackle.

“Quit calling me that, it makes you sound dumb and makes me sound… Cool.” Jihoon scratched his chin. “Nevermind, you can keep calling me that. I like being cool, and you seem to like being dumb.”

Junkyu just laughed at his friend, and in turn also himself. They changed into their day clothes, and began cooking breakfast. Jihoon started by cooking meat and Junkyu cutting fruit, but Jihoon made them switch after Junkyu was “doing it wrong.” Junkyu begrudgingly obliged, still not buying into it. How can fruit be cut wrong if it’s still edible?

Jihoon also showed Junkyu how to fry an egg, though Junkyu bursted the yolk two out of three times. They both agreed to give the good egg to the guest. Speaking of which, once the food was all cooked, the boys went to go check on the boy and found that he was awake.

After what Junkyu thought as a quite successful introduction, they found out that the boy was one year older than them and was named Hyunsuk. Junkyu almost forgot that he was from the Blackhole and got attached immediately. He was happy that he agreed to join them on their travels. During their breakfast, Junkyu felt quite proud that Hyunsuk liked his egg, and ignored the fact that Jihoon hated his.

“So, where are you guys from?” Hyunsuk asked.

“I’m from Mowwa. It’s a small no name town on the east coast of Kenmai.” Junkyu said while stuffing his face with food.

“And I’m from the capital, Animamea.” Jihoon smiled at Hyunsuk while kicking Junkyu underneath the table.

“Ah. So, the Codification and stuff?” Hyunsuk asked, closing off.

“Um… Well, uh, actually…” Junkyu stutter through his words, unsure of what to say.

“Yes we are!” Jihoon announced.

“O-oh.” Hyunsuk looked down at his plate.

“And we know you’re from the Blackhole!” Junkyu shouted. As if it were a sixth sense, Junkyu kneed Jihoon before he could kick him again.

Hyunsuk just looked at them with wide eyes. “It’s okay, though! We don’t affiliate with the Codification anymore! We’re just trying to live our lives! Aren’t you doing the same?” Jihoon tried to ease the situation.

“Yeah.” Hyunsuk responded under his breath.

“We’ll prove it! We already told you that we wanted you to travel with us and stuff, so why don’t you let us help you out with something you want to do?” Junkyu offered.

“Okay,” Hyunsuk looked at both of them in the eyes, judging their intentions. Junkyu tried to give an earnest look, but he was unsure if he just looked awkward (as usual). “Well, actually there is something I want to do, i just don’t really know what it is or how to do it.”

“Well that’s helpful.” Jihoon mumbled causing Junkyu to pinch him.

“What is it?” Junkyu leaned forward.

“This!” Hyunsuk moved his arm forward, displaying a bracelet on his wrist. It was a triangular looking shape with an arrow engraved on it. Junkyu wasn’t exactly sure why, but it looked really familiar. “I don’t know what to do with this, but I think there are more pieces to this medallion. Maybe ten or eleven? It’s hard to judge by the eye.”

Jihoon glanced over. “There’s one of those in the castle,” he said, nonchalantly.

“What, really?” Hyunsuk asked, in disbelief.

“Yeah, it’s on the top of the throne. Right in the center. You know what I’m talking about, right Junkyu?”

“Oh…” Junkyu said in realization. Junkyu remembered his first thoughts of the throne. _On the top most part were symbols that were difficult to make out, but Junkyu thought they were reminiscent of arrows._ “Yeah I remember!”

“Is it too much to ask if we can go there and get it back?” Hyunsuk questioned, looking for approval.

“Well, we probably would get killed, right?” Junkyu asked, looking at Jihoon.

“Of course there’s always a possibility of death,” Jihoon started. “But also success! I have a plan, but we should try to execute it as quickly as possible.”

Seeing the looks on his friend, no _friends,_ faces had excitement building up in his stomach. At that moment, Junkyu thought that at that moment, they were all fine. Happier than any of them had been in a while. _The Huma, huh? It really is a lucky bird, isn’t it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!  
> Okay, Treasure released their concept teaser today and I'm soooooo excited! Can ya'll believe the first episode of YGTB aired in Novemeber of 2018? We've been waiting for these boys for over a year and a half. Dang! I'm so excited for their debut, I've been a fan since YGTB, and even before that I had seen Silver Boys on Mixnine and Stray Kids (after the fact, however [I became a kpop fan in 2018 lol]). It's crazy how I've known Treasure for so long and they are only just debuting. But I don't think I can wait until August! UGH! I'm just so excited.  
> I think the reason I love treasure so much is that they give me that feeling I got when I first got into kpop. Abundant excitement, loads of content, and lots of laughs! They remind me of so many groups that I'm so excited to see they grow into artists! I also really resonate with them since they are all around my age. If I lived in Korea I would've been in school with some of them.  
> Anyways! Onto info about this story haha!  
> First of all, sorry for the wait! I actually didn't know where to end this chapter. I though I would end it after the tournament, then before the left Animamea, and then I landed after they met Hyunsuk lol. So this ended up being almost twice as long as the last chapter (which I'm sure is probably a good thing for readers). Also, I hope no one minds that I am cameo-ing (is that a word, haha) other idols into this story. I think it's fun to fill rolls with other idols people may be familiar with. Is my multi-fandom showing yet?  
> Next chapter will be Jihoon's, and the unexplained stuff with the Codification will be answered. Sorry for leaving some confusing points, but I really felt like they would be best described on Jihoon's chapter since he has been in the codification much longer than Junkyu.  
> Anyway, now I have a format for the "Enter" arc, as I've been calling it. Each chapter will focus on one member and about their upbringings into Treasure, but the story will still progress so that there isn't a missing space between meeting members. Hopefully that makes sense haha! Sorry if it didn't, my thoughts are a little disorganized right now.  
> Fun fact: the Huma is a bird from Iranian mythology and is actually called Bird of Fortune. I am not familiar with Iranian history, but I read up a bit on the bird so that I could include it here. Obviously I changed some things to fit my ideas for the story, but it is said in that the Huma brings luck by just seeing it or its shadow, and if the shadow passes over someone, they will become king. Don't worry, the boys aren't going to become kings, but maybe they will experience some luck? Or maybe they already have?
> 
> Anyway, I want to leave a friendly reminder to cherish your friends and/or family! Just tell them you love and care for them! Stay healthy and safe, we don't want any injured Treasure Makers right before their debut!


	4. Enter: Park Jihoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yet looking at the throne at that moment felt so unfamiliar. He was used to the exciting feeling of being in the room of royalty, sneaking in with his friend to sit on the plush seat. Now it just felt ominous and controlling. And that’s when he realized it. He knew every inch of the castle, but when it came to the outside world there were surprises around every corner. New (and better) people were out there, a diverse and ever-changing planet. The castle, scratch that, all of Animamea, was stagnant. It’s the same as it was when he was young. There was nothing else to discover within the golden walls, unless it were to uncover more of the lies and dirty lives of those who resided within them. The rest of Locata however? Jihoon didn’t know, and that’s why he was so fascinated with it.

Jihoon flopped onto the bed, staring at the white ceiling. His hand instinctively began rubbing the ring on his right wrist. He wished he could just cut the markings off of his skin, but he knew that it would a) probably not work, and b) impair his abilities. Now, at the age of fourteen, he had a total of fifteen of the “rings” on him, training down from his right arm to his right leg. He got one every year, including the day he was born.

He wouldn’t exactly call them rings, but there wasn’t much of a better term to use. They were thick bands printed onto his skin, wrapping all the way around his arm and leg, acting like an irremovable bracelet. They were all purple, the same color as his source, and each time he used his magic, they would illuminate in a light hue.

The Codification had called them proof of loyalty, Jihoon called it failed brainwashing. During the ritual they would perform on his birthday (yes, _ritual,_ because what else do you call a group of near-cultists performing ancient spells on a child), a group of Codification members would chant an ancient stanza in the throne room. It was done so Jihoon could wear his dedication to the Codification on his sleeve (quite literally). Jihoon eventually saw through it and realized that what the Codification were trying to do was control him and make him more powerful so that he could do as they pleased. The controlling part didn’t work, but Jihoon couldn’t tell if it was because of his resilience or if the Codification were just bad at incantations.

Either way, their plan backfired because Jihoon was on the run. Well, sort of. He just had to make a quick detour back to the Codification to help out his newfound friend, Hyunsuk. But other than that, he was completely done with the capital and the Codification. 

Jihoon heard the door to the inn open, and so he sat up on the bed and wandered outside of the room to where he could hear Junkyu’s loud voice. They were still in Monsver, but planned to leave the next day. He pulled his sleeves down as he sat at the table located in the center of the living space.

Once aware of his presence, Junkyu began ranting about all the things that he and Hyunsuk had purchased. “First, and most importantly, we got food. Because, well, food! We need it, obviously. We also purchased some hay which we dropped off at the stables for our horses. Also, as per your request, we got some of those herbs and… dust stuff so we can try to make those potion things. We also got clothes for Hyunsuk so he’ll look more like, I don’t know, evil? You know, for the _plan.”_

Ah yes, the plan. Since the boys had to go back to Animamea to retrieve part of the medallion that Hyunsuk had, Jihoon had formulated an idea so that they could do it in the least violent and disruptive way. Jihoon and Junkyu were originally scheduled to be back in March, so their schedule would work out anyways. Jihoon and Junkyu were going to bring a tied and beat up looking Hyunsuk with them to the castle, saying that on their way towards Redwers, they got ambushed by a group of Blackhole assassins, which had caught them up for a while. They managed to defeat the members, and took Hyunsuk in an effort to get information. They brought him back as proof and to “interrogate” Jihoon assumed that Hyunsuk would get locked in the cells in the basement of the castle (an area he had only heard of, but never entered). Junkyu was then going to help Hyunsuk to escape (though Jihoon was pretty sure his deception magic was going to be enough to make it out on his own). Jihoon was going to then get the medallion part, and escape the castle through the basement with the other two.

Jihoon just prayed that if any higher being existed, that they would help the boys this one time. They had all already been through enough shit, and were ready to leave their pasts behind.

“Junkyu, I am going to trust you to cook. Alone. Please don’t set anything on fire, okay?” Jihoon pointed an accusing finger at Junkyu, who made an offended face. “Hyunsuk, you can help me brew some potions to help us.”

Hyunsuk nodded, and sat next to Jihoon at the table. “Don’t you need heat? How are you going to make anything if Junkyu is using the stove?”

“We only need a little heat, so a little spell will be enough to handle it. But we do need one thing…” Jihoon turned around. “Junkyu! Toss us a pot!”

Junkyu wasted no time in chucking a metal pot directly towards Jihoon’s head. Had Hyunsuk’s quick reflexes not cough said pot, well Jihoon probably would’ve ended up like Hyunsuk had only a few days ago. “Junkyu!” He exclaimed. “Be careful! How many people are you going to knock out?”

Junkyu just laughed maniacally, causing Jihoon to roll his eyes. He then poured some water from his flask into the pot. He then proceeded to put various plants into the pot.

“Don’t you have to use certain plants and stuff?” Hyunsuk asked, watching as Jihoon dumped more herbs into the water.

“Well, yes. But also no. I’m not a very skilled potions maker, it was never the focus of my studies. However these potions rely more on the spell used to create it.” Jihoon took a large wooden spoon to mix around the plants in the water. “If you meet a real potions maker, they use less of their own magic and more of the magic energy within the plants themselves. But for this, I’m just making a luck potion. This has cornflowers and shamrocks in it, which bring good luck. There are other and better plants for luck, but we don’t have access to it, so instead we have to substitute it for other plants and our own magic. Make sense?”

“I guess.” Hyunsuk leans over to look into the pot. “Why don’t ‘real’ potion makers do it this way.”

“The potions are weaker and less pure like this, they also have a possibility to be made wrong, even by professionals.” Jihoon mumbled a spell under his breath, then taps the pot, recoiling at the heat. _Why did I do that when I knew it was going to be hot…_ “The traditional way to make potions will always work when done right. It’s like cooking. If you are bad and cut corners, your food can get burnt and not taste as good. You may even have to toss it. But if you’re a professional and using the right equipment, the meal will come out perfect every time.”

As if on cue, there was a yelp from the kitchen, and the boys turned their heads to see Junkyu swinging around a towel, whacking the pan on the stovetop. He sheepish looked up and averted eye-contact. “Nothing is happening here! Just continue with… Whatever you’re doing, and I’ll continue with what I’m doing.” He gave an awkward laugh, then turned his back while cursing under his breath.

“Looks like someone was cutting corners.” Hyunsuk sighed to hide his laugh.

“That idiot. We’re going to be eating charcoal by the time he’s done.” Jihoon remarkered, a small smile making way onto his face. “Anyways, the last step is to cast a spell on this potion. Do you want to help cast it?”

Hyunsuk nodded sceptically. “I’ve never done this before, so I don’t think I’ll be of any help.”

“You’re very intact with your source, so you’ll be fine.” Jihoon liften his staff and handed it to Hyunsuk, who cautiously took it, surprised by the weight. “It’s not particularly difficult, and using a vessel like my staff will make it much easier. Plus it’s not like I’m letting you do it alone.”

“Okay. What do I say? Or do?”

“Just focus your magic on the pot, and picture the end result. In this instance, imagine the potion of luck. Then say _da fortunam.”_

Hyunsuk closed his eyes, his eyebrows knitting, and, in a voice louder than usual, he chanted, “Da fortunam.”

Nothing happened.

“Don’t feel down, hyung!” Junkyu said from the kitchen, a plate clanking against the counter. “I can’t do it either. Jihoon’s a witch, so he’s good at spellcasting.”

“A sorcerer, please. You’re going to confuse people if you keep calling me that.”

“What he said.” Junkyu made a face.

“He does have a point, though. Since my magic manifests as sorcery, it’s like second-nature for me to spellcast.”

“Jihoon forgets that not everyone is a sorcerer. I swear, he always asks me to do shit that doesn’t make any sense. Hyunsuk, come help me plate this food while he finishes that.”

Hyunsuk stumbled towards Junkyu. “Can this even be considered food?”

Jihoon laughed at his friends. He calmed himself down by taking a few breaths, giddiness still buzzing inside of him. “Da fortunam.”

The mixture bubbled, releasing a gas into their air. It quickly subsided, and a completely fluid liquid was left. Jihoon divided it into three equal parts and poured it into flasks. Just then, Junkyu put a plate of half burnt food in front of him.

“Okay,” Jihoon said, pushing his plate of food away from him as inconspicuously as possible. “Do you guys understand how the luck potion works?”

“It makes us lucky,” Junkyu said confidently, happily eating the blackened meat from his plate.

“Well, yes and no.” Jihoon rolled his eyes. “The potion just shifts our luck. It will grant us luck, but also the same amount of misfortune.”

“So… It’s not good then?” Hyunsuk asked as he sceptically ate from his plate.

“It’s good and bad, like a double edged sword.”

“Well that’s dumb, why would you use a double edged sword?” Junkyu made a face at Jihoon.

“For the same reason that we are going to use these luck potions. It’s a gamble for sure, but it will work in our favor one way or another.”

“Ugh, stop using logic. It’s annoying.” Junkyu stabbed the meat on his plate with one of his chop-sticks.

“You’re just annoyed by your own lack of intelligence, don’t blame me!” Jihoon raised his hands in a mock-surrender.

Hyunsuk just laughed silently at the two boys, looking away to make it less apparent.

☽ ☼ ☾

The trip to Animamea was not very exciting. The boys headed east, and didn’t stop at any towns, making due with what materials they had to spend the night on the side of the path and eat meals. There was one night where Jihoon had laid on the grass as the other two boys went out hunting for food. His eye eventually found the shape of his zodiac, Pisces. Honestly, Jihoon didn’t really care about his Zodiac. But maybe it was just him.

All of those mythologies and religions never resonated with Jihoon. Sure, there probably was some powerful being somewhere in the vast universe that was responsible for some major scale events, but it felt wrong to try and name and label it. Plus, his focus was more on current life, not things that allegedly happened thousands of generations ago. The truth was that a lot of those beliefs are outdated. Some deny the existence of magic in humans, which is now so common that it's rare to find someone without magic abilities.

But more than spiraling down the rabbit hole of belief, looking at the night sky reminded Jihoon of a time when he was younger. When he was about six, Jihoon had a friend who was obsessed with the stars. During the nights the boys would sneak out of the castle and lay in the flower garden, just staring at the night sky. His friend would point out different constellations and planets, explaining each of them thoroughly.

They eventually got caught sneaking out, and his friend covered for him, taking all the blame. Jihoon never saw him again. At first the Codification tried to convince him that the boy had moved away or that he got relocated. They eventually tried to wipe his memory of the event, but Jihoon had simply put a charm on himself to protect himself from the wipe. Of course he was unskillful at sorcery at the time, and all Jihoon was left with were broken memories of a nameless, faceless boy with the galaxy in his eyes.

Jihoon would think about him often. Did the boy remember him? Was he still alive? What did the Codification do to him? Kill him? Banish him from Kenmai? Toss him across the border to Chamao? It’s not like it mattered anymore, that was all years ago, and Jihoon would never run into that boy again.

What did matter was that that event is what sparked Jihoon’s distrust for the Codification. Once his friend was taken was when Jihoon started to notice all the little oddities of the Codification. As his unrest grew, so did the pain of getting his rings. When he was a young child, the spell never hurt Jihoon. But as the years passed, a slight sting grew into a searing pain, as if his limb were being melted off.

Jihoon shivered at the thought of having that ancient spell casted on him. He looked back at the Pisces in the sky. All he hoped was that they could get the piece of the medallion before his birthday passed. The last thing he wanted was to be forced through that again. But time was shrinking, the date already reading March 10th, just four days away.

Jihoon was pulled away from his thoughts as a hand landed on top of his head, fingers running through his hair. Jihoon leaned into the touch.

“Get up, sleepyhead.” Hyunsuk said softly. Jihoon opened his eyes slowly (when had he closed them?), and was met with the short boy crouching over him. “Junkyu is lighting a fire over there.” Hyunsuk pointed to their right, and Jihoon could make out a tall figure moving around much more than what is necessary to start a fire.

“And you left him unattended?” Jihoon sat up while Hyunsuk laughed softly. “We should probably help that poor boy. If he were out here on his own he wouldn’t last a day.”

☽ ☼ ☾

“Okay, it’s done!” Junkyu declared, taking a prideful look at his handy work.

“Junkyu, that doesn’t even resemble a knot,” Jihoon sighed.

“You literally told me to not actually make it a knot so that he could escape!”

“But I also said ‘make sure it looks like a believable knot.’”

“You’re insulting my knot? You’ll hurt its feelings!”

“Shut up you two!” Hyunsuk groaned. “I’ll tie the knot on myself.”

“That’s not possible.” Junkyu crossed his arms, as if it would give backing to his statements. He watched as the mess rope flopped onto the floor and as Hyunsuk untangled it behind his back, beginning to wrap it around his wrists and through loops with precise movements.

Stunned, Junkyu’s mouth fell open. Hyunsuk side-eyed him. “Don’t underestimate what I can do.”

Jihoon and Junkyu then helped him up onto one of their horses after they all drunk their luck potions (Hyunsuk with the assistance of Junkyu), bidding goodbye to Star who was left by the edge of the forest, remaining unbound as per Hyunsuk’s request.

To say it was strange to step foot back into Animamea was an understatement. It just felt wrong in every sense of the word. Jihoon couldn’t even compare to anything he had previously experienced in his life (because his whole life has been in this city). _We just have to get out of here before tomorrow… If we don’t…_ Jihoon shivered at the thought.

As if sensing Jihoon’s distress somehow, Hyunsuk rested his head against his shoulder from behind. Despite the fact that the older boy was a trained assassin, Jihoon felt calm and safe in his presence. Jihoon felt like a complete contradiction to Hyunsuk. He was trained to be a leader, a great light to lead the country and the Codification. Yet he couldn’t help but feel that he himself was a monster part of some corrupt organization.

Jihoon kept his eyes fixated on the white main of the horse he was on. He briefly felt a bit guilty for not caring for him. He hadn’t even bothered to learn the creature’s name. Regardless, Jihoon placed his hand on the hair, running it through his fingers. He let Junkyu lead the way through the city, hoping that everyone would ignore their presence.

Once in front of the gate of the castle, Jihoon was unsure if he should feel relieved or more anxious. The gate slowly opened with a jarring screech and the bridge drew downward. Jihoon made a point of looking at his shoes the whole time, thinking about how he should wash them off as they were covered in mud, grass stains, and dust.

Once he heard the screech of the gate closing and the bridge drawing upwards, he finally dared to look up. Greeting him with a smile was Eunhyuck. Jihoon’s mentor and father figure. He likes to think that in a different life where Eunhyuck hadn’t joined the Codification that he would’ve been a great dad with many children and nieces and nephews. He would’ve been a great figure and a great parent, yet that wasn’t the reality of this life. In this life Eunhyuk was corrupted by the Codification, and he wouldn’t be able to see past it.

Some other official exited the castle, manhandling Hyunsuk off the horse. Jihoon had to look away. Donghae was dragging him into the castle, so Jihoon and Junkyu followed behind. They ended up in the throne room, Hyunsuk on his knees, staring at the floor. Looking at Junkyu, Jihoon could see he was eyeing the medallion piece on the throne. Jihoon gently nudged him and they made eye contact.

“So,” Kyuhyun started. “I heard you never made it to Redwers. What’s the deal with that.” Despite the man’s calm aura, his words were harsh. Angry. Disappointed. 

Jihoon took a breath in. “Well we were on the way there, in fact we were fairly close. But in a wooded area near Miala we got ambushed by some members of the Blackhole.”

“It was almost really bad!” Junkyu chimed in. “They had all these knives and stuff, but they were startled by our use of magic. We were able to catch this one, but it wasn’t easy.”

“We had to take a few days to sedate and calm him, but we were in the woods so it took some time. Eventually we weren’t sure what to do, so we just decided to bring him back. His ability is nothing special, just enhanced senses. Very low caliber.” Jihoon assessed. Suddenly he was glad that him and Junkyu rehearsed what they were going to say yesterday. “Anyway it took much longer to get back than expected because of the extra load. Plus we took stops to try and get information out of him, but he hasn’t budged.”

Kyuhyun nodded in acknowledgement. “Donghae, bring him to the cells.” Donghae then harshly shoved Hyunsuk, then pulled him into a standing position and started walking away. “Junkyu, you are dismissed to your room. We will be talking to you two more about this later.”

Junkyu started walking off, pulling Jihoon along with him. Kyuhyun made a noise of disagreement, causing them both to look back. “Jihoon, you have to stay here.”

Junkyu glanced at Jihoon, who just mouthed the word “go” to him. Junkyu gave him a small smile and scurried out of the room.

“Jihoon,” Eunhyuck calls. “You’re acting strange. Are you okay? Did something happen while you were gone?”

“Well I told you, we got ambushed.” Jihoon tried not to look nervous.

“He doesn’t mean it like that,” Kyuhyun states flatley. “We're just saying that you’re a teenager now. We don’t want you to have any of those silly thoughts going off in your head.”

“What… What thoughts?”

“Perhaps about leaving. Which you obviously wouldn’t do. You’ve grown up here, you wouldn’t betray us like that, would you?” 

“Of course not. This is my… home.” Jihoon has to practically choke out the words.

“Well since you think that way, we can commence with the spell.”

“But it’s not—”

“Not what? Your birthday? What difference does one day make?” _All the difference._

Jihoon watched as the floor illuminated in a symmetrical pattern, signaling that the incantation process was already beginning. He felt his staff fly off of his person, tumble across the floor. All he could do was close his eyes and wish.

☽ ☼ ☾

“Hey!” Hyunsuk snaps at the man pushing him from behind. What was his name? Donghae? It’s not like it mattered to Hyunsuk at all.

“Shut up pipsqueak.”

_Pipsqueak?!_ Hyunsuk was ready to deck the guy right there. But then they stopped moving, staring at a blank white wall. Hyunsuk tried to not look unimpressed, but honestly he wasn’t even sure how he was supposed to react in this situation. Was scared the right reaction? But he’d dealt with much worse in his life. He just tried his best to keep a straight face.

Donghae then placed his hand on the wall and his voice boomed _“Patentibus!”_ A square section of the wall retracted in, then swung open like a door. Peering in, all Hyunsuk could see was a dimly lit staircase. Donghae gave him another shove forward, prompting him to start walking down the staircase. If it weren’t for the plan, Hyunsuk totally would’ve pushed the guy down the stairs and booked it out of there. But they were supposed to be on the down low about the whole breaking out of a government facility. So Hyunsuk begrudgingly walked down the stairs.

After walking down the unnecessarily long stairwell, they ended up in a dimly lit room far underneath the castle. There were several rusty looking cells with chains attached to the walls and… was that a bone on the ground? Hyunsuk could see dust swelling up in the air from where his feet dragged across the ground.

“There’s two ways we can do this,” Donghae started. “You can either go in the cell and make this easy for both of us, or I’ll force you in there.”

Weighing the options, Hyunsuk realistically realized that he was at the lower hand. He couldn’t rely on the element of surprise in this situation, and structurally this man was a lot bigger and had more muscle mass that he did. So while he’d like to fight this guy, he’d rather keep his body intact.

“Or you can just let me go.” Hyunsuk stated simply, eyes focused intently on Donghae’s face. This was the one way he had the upper hand: Donghae didn’t know his abilities. However Donghae wasn’t like the weak-minded individuals he usually tries to control, so Hyunsuk tried to put in extra energy while remaining extremely cautious.

“Let you go, yeah right.” Donghae gave Hyunsuk another push (geez was this guy physical). “Just get in your cell.”

“You don’t have to lock me up, you can just walk up the stairs and we can end this calmly.” Hyunsuk could feel the energy from his source strengthening around him, seeing a faint trail of deep red. He could feel his abilities working until…

“BOOYAH!” A loud yell came from behind Donghae as he fell face first onto the floor. There stood Junkyu, looking mighty proud. “Don’t worry, I’ve come to save you!”

“First of all, I had complete control of that situation. Second of all… How did you get here?”

“Well obviously I walked down the stairs. There was a giant gap in the wall and I figured that was probably where a hidden prison would be.” 

“Donghae left the door open? How could he do that, he’s high ranking and trusted…” Hyunsuk began untangling his arms from the rope, letting it fall to the floor.

“We must be lucky!” Junkyu cheered. Hyunsuk resisted the smile pushing at his lips. 

“So what is our misfortune going to be?” Hunsuk thought aloud?

“Well… Maybe I closed the door. And maybe I don’t know of any other way to get out of here.” Junkyu made a weird face as he said that. Was he trying to look cute? Sad? Hyunsuk didn’t know.

“Well at least no one will check down here, but I guess we have to find a way out.” Hyunsuk immediately started searching the small and dark area. As he picked up a metal cup, he immediately coughed and sneezed from the amount of dust that seemed to attack his face.

From the corner of his eye, Hyunsuk could see Junkyu walk into the cell, and plop down on the floor right where the chains were, leaning against the wall. Hyunsuk squinted at him. _Were his eyes closed?_

“Junkyu what are you doing?” Hyunsuk asked.

“Look, I’m tired! Plus looking around won’t do any good, everything here is magic, so it’s not like you’ll find an escape tunnel by pushing a button.” Junkyu tilted his head.

“An escape tunnel huh…”

“Yeah I’ve read stories about Kenmain troops being imprisoned in Chamao, and escaped by creating a tunnel.” Junkyu yawned a little bit. “Of course a tunnel would be super obvious, so they enchanted it so that it could be opened with magic.”

“Who’s to say that previous prisoners down here didn’t do that as well?”

“I mean, sure. Some of the kids used to say that prisoners could freely travel the castle with the tunnels, though I’m pretty sure they just said that to scare each other.”

“Well then why don’t we do… magic stuff and open the tunnel.”

“And how are we supposed to know the words to unlock the tunnel?” Junkyu rubbed his face. “I say we just wait for someone to come down here and we fight our way out.”

“We are not going to fight our way out, Junkyu. This whole operation is supposed to be low-key.”

“Fine, then you can try.”

Hyunsuk thought back to when Donghae opened the wall leading to the stairs. _What had he said?_ “Okay, uh… Plantibo!”

Junkyu makes another weird face. He seems to have a lot of those. “What the hell did you just try to say?”

“I was trying to do the thing Donghae did to get down here.”

“First of all, I have no idea what you tried to say since you completely butchered it. Second of all, do you not remember when you tried to make those luck potions. You don’t even know how to cast!”

“Hey! You said you couldn’t do it either!”

“Well obviously I know a bit, I was just trying to be nice!”

“Sure.” Hyunsuk rolled his eyes. Junkyu was more annoying than his actual siblings. Hyunsuk sighed at that thought, shaking his head. He was closer to Junkyu than he was to his brother and sister anyway, they didn’t matter anymore.

“Ugh…” Junkyu groaned. “I wish Jihoon were here, he’s so good at casting he’d know what to do…”

“Well he ain’t here, but you are. If you are being truthful in that you can do some casting, you may as well try.”

“Fine.” Junkyu pouted. _Pouted._ Such childish behavior, really.

Junkyu slowly rose to his feet, stretching his arms. He slowly turned around in a circle, surveying the room. He ended up just looking straight at Hyunsuk. “Um…” He seemed to close his eyes in focus this time, rather than tiredness. “O-open.”

Hyunsuk pursed his lips, ready to say something, but then there was a loud creaking noise, and the spot in the wall where Junkyu had just been sitting crumbled away to reveal a hole large enough to just fit a person.

“I can’t believe that worked.” Hyunsuk said, mouth open in shock.

“Magic doesn’t have to be said in ancient languages… Hey! Now you’re the one underestimating me!”

“We’re even then.” Hyunsuk said, patting Junkyu on the back.

“Okay, I’m going first because if I spend another minute here, I will lose my mind. That or fall asleep.” Junkyu then turned around, and began crawling into the tunnel. It was surprising that he could maneuver his large scythe through the narrow space but he made do. Hyunsuk followed shortly after.

☽ ☼ ☾

“Shit…” Jihoon mumbled under his breath, slowly opening his eyes. He felt a sharp pain in his right leg. The pain was far worse this time, even if he had fallen unconscious. He could barely move. As his vision faded in, he could see his staff lying on the ground on the opposite side of the room.

Jihoon slowly sat up, getting onto wobbling feet. He limped his way over and picked up his staff. _Was it always this heavy?_ He leaned all of his weight onto it, hardly remaining upright. Jihoon took the moment to glance down at his leg, and he could see a new ring across his right ankle and his boot dangling off his foot, completely burnt.

Hobbling with a stick for a leg, Jihoon made his way over to the throne, giving it a good look. He used to spend hours wandering around the castle as a child, taking every detail and committing it to memory. He knew the entire layout of the building—every room, hallway, wall, and door. He could recreate every piece of art in his mind (and on a canvas if he had the artistic ability to do so). The patterns on the walls which seemed to follow no structure were predictable to Jihoon. Even the view of the city from his bedroom window.

Yet looking at the throne at that moment felt so unfamiliar. He was used to the exciting feeling of being in the room of royalty, sneaking in with his friend to sit on the plush seat. Now it just felt ominous and controlling. And that’s when he realized it. He knew every inch of the castle, but when it came to the outside world there were surprises around every corner. New (and better) people were out there, a diverse and ever-changing planet. The castle, scratch that, all of Animamea, was stagnant. It’s the same as it was when he was young. There was nothing else to discover within the golden walls, unless it were to uncover more of the lies and dirty lives of those who resided within them. The rest of Locata however? Jihoon didn’t know, and that’s why he was so fascinated with it.

Suddenly the thought of having to stay in the capital for another minute disgusted Jihoon. The initial shock of returning and worn off, and now he was left with the gross feeling of being hurt and out of place. This was no longer his home, Junkyu and Hyunsuk were.

For one final time Jihoon examined the intricate design of the throne. The owl, fish, lions, and more creatures are both familiar and forign. In the center was the piece of the medallion. The figure of an arrow was so small that it seemed to fit in with the rest of the seat, yet the coloration was slightly different and stuck out a bit more. He brushed his fingers over it, putting slight pressure and the piece just fell out of place and into his palm.

_For an ancient all-powerful artifact, this wasn’t protected very well…_

He quickly pocketed the item, and started making his way through the castle. Remembering the schedules of those inside the castle, Jihoon headed through back corridors which were rarely used unless during the night. Once at the furthest wall from the entrance, Jihoon focused his little energy on searching for an exit. Considering how old the castle was, he knew there were plenty of secret exits for escape incase of emergencies.

He came across an old painting, one of the first royal families of Kenmai. It consisted of a large burly man as king, a calm and serene looking Queen, and a princess with a fierce gaze. Jihoon could feel the waves of energy coming from it and put his hand against it, whispering under his breath. The canvas faded into nothing, revealing a large corridor which Jihoon had to prop himself up to get into. It was a difficult maneuver for him, but he managed to do it without having use of his right leg. Once he stood up, the picture reappeared, darkening the entire hallway.

Too weak to even try to cast anything else, Jihoon stumbled forward in the dark only for the floor and ceiling to illuminate, lighting the way. The walk was extremely long, but it was to be expected as he was walking through an entire mountain. He lost track of time, focusing mainly on the pain in his ankle, but eventually there was an end to the corridor, a large boulder in the way. Once he approached it, the rock just rolled out of the way, revealing a large open field surrounded by forest.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Jihoon dropped his staff on the grass, carefully sitting himself on the ground. In the distance a flock of birds emerged from the trees, flying above Jihoon and over the mountains southward. The wind blew with the passing of them, rustling the grass on his exposed legs and hands.

Jihoon used the opportunity to properly inspect his wound. His entire lower right leg was burned bright red, fading into a darker color to his foot. While it looked extremely nasty, he knew it would heal with time and magic, so he just tried to ignore it. If Junkyu and Hyunsuk ever showed their faces he could just use them as a passage for his magic.

Feeling drained, Jihoon let himself fall backwards onto the grass, closing his eyes half from the brightness of the sky and half from the need to just sleep.

☽ ☼ ☾

A loud gasp pierced Hyunsuk’s ears. Him and Junkyu climbed through the crammed tunnel for what felt like a lifetime to end up in the middle of god knows where with no clue as to where Jihoon was. Of course they had to inspect the area and see if they could find their friend.

“What is your deal Junkyu?” Hyunsuk asked after walking into the boy who had stopped walking right in front of him.

“We’re too late! He’s dead!” Junkyu exclaimed, turning around with a face of horror (although it didn’t look all that different from his daily shocked face).

Pushing Junkyu aside, he could see a body laying in the grass, peacefully sleeping.

“He’s not dead, you dolt, he’s taking a nap.” Hyunsuk gives him another slight push for good measure.

“At a time like this?” Junkyu trailed behind him.

“Says you! You literally tried to sleep instead of trying to find a way out of that cell!”

“Well it was appropriate at the time! This is just unprofessional!”

Hyunsuk wasn’t exactly sure when he went from slightly third-wheeling with Jihoon and Junkyu to bickering with them as if he knew them for a lifetime, but at least Junkyu always seemed to make him smile (though he’d never admit it to his face).

The first thing Hyunsuk noticed when he approached Jihoon was the markings on his leg. Then he noticed that the bandage that was normally covering his right arm was missing revealing more of them. Then he saw the burn marks trailing up from his foot. If not for the obvious injuries, Jihoon looked completely at peace, chest rising and falling rhythmically, filling his lungs with the fresh air of the meadow.

Hyunsuk gently shook his shoulder, and watched movement underneath Jihoon’s eyelids until they opened, revealing those brown eyes to complete his boyish face. He slowly sat up, placing a hand on his head. He groaned (much louder than what was necessary), and took a good long look at Hyunsuk and Junkyu.

Jihoon reached out and took Hyunsuk’s hand. “Do you mind?” he asked. Hyunsuk wasn’t sure what exactly he was asking for, but nodded nonetheless.

“What do you need?”

“Just open up your source to me, I need it to heal.”

Hyunsuk never grew up with the idea of living harmoniously with his source, so he wasn’t exactly sure how to open it up, but he focused on that thought and the relaxing hum of the field, closing his eyes somewhere along the process. It was weird at first, it felt as though someone were prodding inside his head and heart, but then the familiarity sunk in of the purple aura of Jihoon. Hyunsuk could feel some of his energy leave him, but it didn’t make him feel empty, rather comforted by the presence of his friends.

When Jihoon let go of his hand, Hyunsuk opened his eyes and saw that Jihoon’s leg was no longer burnt red, rather there was only a light color pink of irritation around the purple mark closest to his ankle.

“Dude,” Junkyu said, slightly ruining the atmosphere, “you need a new shoe.”

Jihoon rolled his eyes, but picked up his staff, standing up, dusting himself off of grass. “No duh. Obviously we can’t go back to Animamea, so going south would be a pretty poor idea right now. I say we head east with the cover of the woods and Mium Mountain and take the coast down to Redwers?”

“Do we have to go to Redwers?” Hyunsuk asked. “What is so important there?”

“Are you saying you don’t want to go to Redwers?” Junkyu asked, shocked. “It’s a huge port city where a bunch of people travel to and from the country. You know, since going north to Chamao is basically suicide.”

“Junkyu you could’ve at least answered his question.” Jihoon light leans on his friend. _He seems to be perfectly fine now._ “I think we can gather more information there on this medallion. I mean if we are going to go on a scavenger hunt for this thing we may as well figure out what it is. Redwers is not only a port for goods but knowledge. Many forign scholars go through there to pursue studying here. We’ll likely find someone who knows something about it there. Plus, it’s sort of like reverse psychology. I don’t think the Codification would expect us to go to the place that we were originally assigned to.”

“Speaking of the medallion…” Junkyu turned to completely face Jihoon. “So… Did you get it.”

With a proud smile, Jihoon pulled the piece of medallion out of his pocket. It was nearly identical to the one Hyunsuk had on his wrist.

“So what do we do with it now?” Junkyu asked.

“Well it’s a medallion, like one medallion. So I guess we put the two pieces together?” Hyunsuk suggested, sliding the bracelet off of his wrist handing it to Jihoon. “I think you should have the honor of doing so.”

“Um, okay,” Jihoon hesitantly put the pieces next to each other. There were no ridges or points of connection, and they didn’t seem to particularly want to stick together. “Like this? Nothing is happening.”

“Use your magic _you dolt.”_ Junkyu teased by repeating Jihoon’s previous words. “I mean think about it. And old ancient magical artifacts just may need magic to work.”

Jihoon made a face at Junkyu, but said nothing, instead looking at the pieces of the medallion. He seemed to put a great amount of focus, until suddenly a huge beam of light came down from the sky, the same purple color as Jihoon’s source, engulfing the medallion. It sent a gust, blowing the trio’s hair backward. Hyunsuk actually had to take a step backward to retain his balance.

Then, as quickly as it came, the light disappeared, leaving the boys shocked. Looking at the pieces in Jihoon’s hand, they now were fused together.

“What the hell was that?” Junkyu asked frantically.

Jihoon looked Hyunsuk in the eyes. “Did that ever happen with this before?”

Hyunsuk shook his head, pondering. “Maybe it’s a way that the medallion… retains magical energy? Or maybe that released it? Or… Okay I don’t know much about magic theory but… I mean obviously that did something.”

“Here,” Jihoon handed the medallion—which was still attached to the leather bracelet. “You should keep hold of this.”

“You’re just scared.” Junkyu poked Jihoon’s side.

“Do YOU want to wear it?” Jihoon pointedly asked and Junkyu remained silent. “Thought so.”

Hyunsuk chuckled under his breath and slid the bracelet onto his slim wrist, tightening it securely. Suddenly he felt more interested in the medallion and had a stronger need to protect it.

“I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news,” Junkyu started, “but we have no mode of transportation other than our feet, have next to no materials, and have no idea where the next town is. Also,” he pointed to the sky, “the sun is about to set.”

As if she could hear the conversation, Star galloped out from the forest, heading straight to the boys. She ran straight to Hyunsuk, and he pet her mane, running his fingers through the dark strands of hair.

“Okay well that solves one of our issues, but none of the others.” Junkyu crossed his arms.

“Let’s just start heading east then!” Hyunsuk easily hopped up onto Star’s back, then watched in amusement as Junkyu and Jihoon scrambled to climb on, knocking each other out of the way, fighting for the seat in the back.

Eventually Junkyu got the back seat, squishing Jihoon in between him and Hyunsuk with the argument of height and weight and how the heaviest should be in the back (Hyunsuk is pretty sure he just wanted to roast them and, obviously, get the better seat).

☽ ☼ ☾

The boys traveled throughout the whole nighttime, luckily not getting jumped by bandits or creatures of the forest, and by noon of the next day had come across a town. While they didn’t see any signs to denote the name of it, they bought new equipment (most notably new black boots for Jihoon) and spent the night in an inn. They filled their stomachs with stew from the old lady working there, and fell asleep peacefully sprawled across a large carpet rather than beds.

Jihoon woke up with a crick in his neck, but he was content. He spent the morning staring out the window at the trees, the smell of the woods overtaking all his other senses. Taking a big breath in, he felt warmth fill his body. He thought back to the previous day. To the moment where the pieces combined. The sensation was nearly indescribable. It was like an extreme surge of energy was constantly entering and leaving his body. It was scary to say the least as an unfamiliar force hammered through his veins. Yet now he felt refreshed. Cleansed. Though he would certainly prefer not to experience it again.

Suddenly he felt weight drape across his shoulders and a tuft of ravne hair tickling his cheek. Jihoon humed in acknowledgment of Junkyu’s presence.

“So you’re being nice today? What’s the occasion.”

Though he couldn’t see it, Jihoon just knew Junkyu rolled his eyes. “It’s your birthday, idiot.”

“Technically it was yesterday, but I appreciate the effort.”

“Well on the other side of the world it is still the fourteenth. Also, you slept all of yesterday while we were on the road.”

Jihoon smiled softly, leaning backwards into Junkyu. Eventually the tall boy peeled himself off of Jihoon, then bent down to pull him up from the ground. He pulled Jihoon into the dimly lit kitchen. Then Hyunsuk bursted into the room holding a baguette and singing a song about having a happy birthday.

Jihoon gave the baguette a weird look until Hyunsuk defended himself. “The bakery didn’t have cakes, and this is sweet bread so it’s basically the same thing.”

“And you know how abysmal our cooking skills are.” Junkyu chimed in.

Another smile found its way to Jihoon’s lips. He seems to smile a lot these days. He pulled the boys into a hug, ignoring the way the baguette got a bit squished in between them. They found themselves snacking on said squished break throughout the rest of the day.

☽ ☼ ☾

Heading further east, the trio ended up at a tavern in a dense part of the forest called Noirlum. Hyunsuk got them a room above the tavern while Junkyu and Jihoon took Star to get her fitted for a caravan. Of course they went the simple (and cheap) route getting a caravan that was simply made out of birch, no stain, paints, or extra design on. The cover was a cream colored cloth which was enchanted to be weatherproof and somewhat insulated.

They then proceeded to buy things to fill the caravan with. They made a stack of wood for fires, plenty of clothes, and a container of food. It was… cozy to say the least. When Junkyu and Jihoon sat in there with all the stuff, it was quite crammed. However, the less stuff also meant their horse could remain in a better condition, so it wasn’t all too bad. It’s not like three people take up a lot of room or need a lot of stuff.

Eventually, as rain started to fall, they all met up in the tavern to eat a dinner which consisted of grilled chicken that was, quote, _seasoned to perfection_ , according to Junkyu. They did quickly devour the food, and found themselves drinking amagon juice which they purchased a large pitcher of.

The tavern was a homely place. One man stood behind the bar section, conversing with the people seated there, drinking beers from large glasses. Wooden kegs lined the wall behind him, each labeled with the names of alcoholic drinks that Jihoon was unfamiliar with. There was a young woman who was walking around serving people food and holding light conversation. Everyone in the town seemed to be friendly to one another, all being able to start and hold conversation so easily.

Hyunsuk eventually flattened out a map across the table, flashes of lightning illuminating it through the window next to them. “I don’t know why we never got one of these earlier, but we are in desperate need of direction, so we should write out our intended path on here.”

“Well…” Jihoon placed his finger on the map, “we can curve around like this to optimize our distance traveled to then follow along the coastline.”

“Woah!” Junkyu exclaimed, “That’s Mowwa! It’s my hometown.” Junkyu pointed at a town on the coast that they would most likely skip across due to it being in an inefficient location.

“If you want I guess we can make a detour there…” Jihoon suggested.

“Umm… No need. I don’t think I could face anyone from home.”

Hyunsuk sympathectomy rubs his back. Jihoon wished he could relate more, but he never knew his biological parents, but if it was anything close to his relationship from the people in the castle, he also would never be able to face them. With the differing ideal, running away, and tourture… yeah he will definitely skip going back there.

A slight shiver rippled through Jihoon’s body, but he tried to put his attention back on the map. “Anyways, then obviously we’ll just follow the coast until we get to Redwers. We can take a shortcut here,” Jihoon dragged his finger across the paper to cut the south-east corner of the country off of their path, “though it is slightly more risky. I don’t know how actively the Codification will be searching for us.”

“Wait, so are we criminals now?” Junkyu asked, eyes wide. “Will we have bounties? Won’t that make us an even bigger target?” 

“Well, I doubt we will have a bounty on our heads since the Codification will want to keep this matter quiet, but they may pay off specific people to get us.” 

“And our best bet is definitely avoidance since we are three teenagers versus… whatever professionals they send our way.” Hyunsuk added in.

“Okay, maybe we shouldn’t make a shortcut then, unless it is somehow just as safe as taking the coast?” Junkyu started biting on his finger nail.

“Yeah, or we could—”

The door to the tavern banged open, and the small number of people in the building all turned their heads towards it. Including Jihoon who had to turn his body 180 degrees to see anything. There in the door frame stood a small and skinny boy, drenched in rain and mud and… blood? He cradled something in his arms that was wrapped in a jacket that should’ve really been on his body.

The boy stood still for a moment, dripping water onto the ground. The tavern was pin-drop silence, everyone waiting for someone else to make a move. He coughed a few times, then examined everyone in the tavern, and when his eyes met with Jihoon, he sprinted towards their table.

Hyunsuk was the first to move, frantically pulling the map towards himself and rolling it back up. Junkyu was in a confused daze that wasn’t all the different from his resting face. Meanwhile Jihoon’s eyes just followed the mystery boy as he ran towards him. Once standing in front of their table the boy pointed at Jihoon.

“YOU!” Junkyu visibly flinched even though he wasn’t the one being addressed. Stress and adrenaline started pulsing through Jihoon. _Who is this guy? Is he with the Codification? Is he going to kill us? Should we strike first or run?_

“You’re a healer right?” The boy asked, frantically, breath short. Jihoon slowly nodded. “Thank god… Please help my friend.”

He placed the bundle in his arms on the table, undoing it to reveal a small black bunny which was shivering and in obvious pain. It’s fur was blood covered and soaked, and upon closer inspection the skin was broken in several places from a blunt hit.

Jihoon placed a hand on the bunny, and instantly he was shocked. Not literally, but he was surprised by the source of the bunny. He was expecting a source of the caliber of a typical animal, yet the source had the familiar sophistication to it of a person.

“This bunny is a human?” Jihoon asked the boy who was now seated next to him. He nodded anxiously. Now that they were closer Jihoon took a quick moment to look the boy over properly. His features were undeveloped yet sharp. He looked so young. Maybe a really younger teenager, or perhaps not even. His eyes were a long almond-like shape and his black bangs covering his forehead and eyebrows.

“We got attacked in the woods… Just please help him.” The boy looked down at his hands, fiddling with his fingers. He wanted to reach out and calm him down, hold his hands, yet Jihoon didn’t want to scare the boy more than he already was.

“Yeah of course…” Jihoon trailed off, looking at the boy.

“Yedam. My name is Yedam.”

“Of course Yedam.”

☽ ☼ ☾

Sitting at his desk, a man in a black suit who was hardly holding onto the last threads of his youth, held a fountain pen, wiggling it between his fingers. He was reading over scrolls, seemingly taking notes on the information contained in them. His legs were crossed with his foot tapping on the ground at a quick pace, the sound lightly echoing throughout the high ceilinged room.

A knock at the door caught the man’s attention, uncrossing his legs to sit up straight, and setting the scrolls aside. A woman, short but strong, walked into the room, shoes clicking, mirroring her own confidence. She wore armor of a high ranking general, a large spear on her backside.

The rise of the man’s eyebrows seemed to convey a message to the woman.

“Sir, Bom detected a strong wave in the energy field.” The woman stated while coming to a kneeling position on the ground.

“And what’s so special about that? Strong waves happen daily with the birth and death of sources.”

“Sir, the power waves are that of the Lidion.”

“Are you sure?” The man demanded more than asked.

“Yes, we checked several times, and the waves are nearly identical to when you joined the pieces those decades ago.”

“Nearly identical?” he inquired.

“Well, yes. There are different people in control of it now. It’s important to note that one of those pieces used to be—”

“Jiyong. He’s up to something. But it isn’t him who combined them, right?” The man’s interest seemed to increase. The woman nodded firmly.

“Do we know where this happened?”

“Not yet, we are trying to locate the origins of it as we speak, but I thought that this issue would be particularly important to you.

“Let me know as soon as you get more information on this Chaerin.”

“Yes sir. I will take my leave now, Bom needs all hands on deck to track this.”

The woman turned to walk out of the room, but stopped halfway. “Do you think you will pull out the new specialized until for this?”

“Not yet, those girls are our secret weapons, no need to get trigger happy with them.”

“Noted, Seungri.” The clicking of her shoes faded as she left the room, leavin the man alone once again.

A small smile seemed to graze his face. “That man never knows when to quit, does he?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY!  
> Let's just hurriedly ignore all that I missed...  
> I will just quickly say how proud I am of the boys! I love their music so much, and their performances are so amazing.  
> They are so deserving of all the love and support they are getting!  
> I apologize to anyone who was looking forward to this only for me to abruptly stop. I could give a really long explanation but all it comes down to is me being busy and lazy.  
> Anyway here is this chapter! Sorry for taking so long... I hope this turned out well and that you all enjoy it! Happy holidays!


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